Not too long ago, Xbox announced that it was restructuring its development studios, with several teams preparing to leave the company. Among them was Undead Labs, the developer behind the rather enjoyable State of Decay games. At the time, Microsoft stated that Undead Labs had entered into terms to move under new ownership, and many people, myself included, feared the worst. Who was going to buy the studio, and more importantly, what would happen to State of Decay 3?
Well, as it turns out, there wasn’t an outside buyer, per se. Undead Labs announced today that it has completed its separation from Xbox and is now operating as an independent, employee-owned game development studio. Instead of simply being passed from one massive company to another, the people working at Undead Labs now have ownership of the studio themselves. Considering how uncertain things looked when Xbox first announced the restructuring, that’s quite the turn of events.
This of course is fantastic news for both the studio, its employees and even so the fans of the studio. I loved the first two games and I’ll be honest, when I found out that Xbox was selling off the studio, my stomach sank....
