Dead Island 2 has been in an interesting and complicated situation for years now. Seemingly as a result of the lengthy radio silence in-between assurances the game is still in development a rumor has emerged that the series itself had been effectively canceled. Resulting in gamers being surprised to see a job listing for an art director at Dambuster studios for the project. Despite them being confirmed as the stewards of the franchise in 2019 after it lingered at Sumo digital since 2016.

The listing confirmed the game will still be set in California during a full-scale zombie outbreak, but provides no additional hints as to the project. Do note the few spelling errors you see are present in the listing and are not additions.

The City of Angels is now the city of the undead.

And so we need you to lead our art team as they create the sun soaked backdrop to a full scale zombie apocalypse set across the iconic Californian city for the next instalment in the world renowned Dead Island franchise.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to further your career by leading the art direction on a ground-breaking title for current and future platforms at a genuinely progressive and forward thinking studio. Do you have proven experience in leading world class art teams to deliver AAA console focused titles? If so, then we have your next challenge waiting…

No modern game job listing be complete without a confirmation regarding how “inclusive” and “diverse” their working place is. Adding to it the company has confirmed they are engaging in racial discrimination as part of the “Raise the Game” initiative.

“We value Inclusivity and Diversity within the workplace and so we recently took the pledge towards Raising the Game.”

If you’re wondering how pozzed Raise the Game is, here is their description from their website.

We know that businesses will be in different places on their diversity and inclusion journey. #RaiseTheGame is designed to inspire meaningful cultural and behavioural change in all games companies, whatever your size and wherever you are in your journey.

We want 200 games businesses signed up and demonstrating how they have undertaken activity to improve diversity and inclusion by the end of 2021 – reaching over 50% of the UK games industry’s workforce; and possibly beyond since the pledge is open to companies beyond the UK because diversity and inclusion are global matters not exclusive to one place!

We’ll be using the commitments made to highlight good practice, build and share our knowledge, and set goals to inspire further change.

Yet again another advocacy group that has companies violating numerous discrimination in hiring laws gets to operate with impunity. Keep in mind the reason the industry loves to hire women and minorities has everything to do with tax credits and nothing to do with principle. Given their last game was an ill-thought-out, poorly written, buggy mess there is little reason to have hope in this corpse of a series after their commitment to racial profiling in their hiring practices.