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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

From Dead Rising’s zany antics to the bleakness of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, gaming had become oversaturated with all manner of zombie titles by the mid-2010s. As with anything, however, the market willingly made extra room for the right project at the right time. Such was the case in 2014 when Skybound Entertainment and Payday publisher Starbreeze partnered to create Overkill’s The Walking Dead—a first-person cooperative shooter with Payday-esque qualities set in the same universe as the acclaimed comic book series.

Well versed in the issues that plagued countless licensed titles of the past, Skybound and Starbreeze deliberately tried sidestepping the most common trappings. For one, despite its connection to the IP’s wider lore, the teams treated Overkill’s The Walking Dead like an original game, complete with new characters, a previously unexplored setting, and fresh stories. Bucking the trend of utilizing licensed games as glorified marketing tools served as another example of each company’s commitment to a high-quality end result. But it wasn’t enough.

The project’s status as a licensed game, and the usual baggage that came with it, had no bearing on the disastrous 2018 release. Overkill’s The Walking Dead instead endured a four-year production cycle beset by delays, a mid-development engine switch, and a protracted period of crunch—all courtesy of inept leadership. Thus, this is a tale of wasted potential, one of over-ambition and little preparation culminating in broken promises and one company’s sudden financial ruin.

This is the tragedy of Overkill’s The Walking Dead.

 

[RoadHazard]

Why is it called that? Who or what is Overkill, and why is this their game?

Edit: Found the answer. I always find it dumb when a game is called "Developer's Game X".

 

[lh032]

LOl totally forgot about this game.

 

[kiphalfton]

These guys were ballsy and put their name right there in the title. Too bad it didn't pay off

This game had potential... but like many licensed games it fell WAY short of expectations.

All they needed to do was make a single player Walking Dead game, that focused on resource management, factions, etc. and it would have been a hit. Nope. They decided there needed to be yet another multiplayer zombie game and it blew up in their faces.