When we think about a Walking Dead video game, most of us immediately think of Tell Tale’s The Walking Dead. The narrative-driven game has been quite successful. Few of us like to recall the lackluster performance of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, which was more action-heavy than its Tell Tale successor. Because the game was executed so poorly, it’s hard to change the idea that maybe The Walking Dead is best suited for a more story-driven type of play. However, Overkill and Starbreeze, the studios behind Pay Day, have taken up the call and are in the process of making what (we hope) will be a great horror-action title, accented with co-op features.
With the support of Walking Dead creator Kirkman behind it, the title looks to separate itself from Walking Dead: Survival Instinct by focusing more on story. It will pull more from the comics rather than the show, which puts it a bit closer to its orginal source, rather than being an adaptation of an adaptation.
“One thing that we are doing, which I think is very cool about the Telltale game and the Starbreeze game and Air game is that they are all licensed games, and licensed games are usually somewhat crappy, but thankfully our’s aren’t. The key I think, which is very important, is that we’re not doing, ‘Hey, it’s Daryl Dixon running around shooting zombies, because you like Daryl Dixon.’ Or ‘It’s Rick Grimes doing this because you like Rick Grimes.’ We’re telling our own stories and doing our own things almost as if they are original games.”
The game will be set in Washington D.C. This is a notable departure from the typical rural southern locations we’ve seen in the TV series and recent games. Another delightful twist for fans is the time period that this title will focus on. Instead of picking up just after society has been lost, this game will be the first time we get to see everything fall apart as things go from bad to worse.
Slated for a 2016 release, Overkill’s The Walking Dead will be the next spinoff in the series after the upcoming summer AMC spinoff.
