Dead Island 2 exceeds internal expectations after topping 2 million sales

Dead Island 2 has sold over 2 million copies worldwide since launching on April 21, 2023.

The long-gestating sequel had already topped 1 million sales in three days, but has now sold more than double that total.

Embracer Group, the parent company of publisher Deep Silver, announced the milestone in its latest fiscal report and said the title has surpassed internal expectations.

Dead Island success

"When measured over the initial seven-day sales period, Dead Island 2 has become the largest launch in both units sold and revenue generated in the history of Deep Silver and Plaion," it added.

Dead Island 2 is the second mainline entry in the series–which includes a spin-off called Dead Island: Riptide–and launched over a decade after the original Dead Island made its debut in 2011.

The project spent years in development limbo at multiple studios, including Yager Development and Sumo Digital, before Deep Silver eventually took charge in 2019.

For Embracer, the launch of Dead Island 2 represents a welcome success amid mixed results for its new releases, with other titles such as SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake and Scars Above failing to hit the ground running.