Developer admits this Xbox exclusive barely existed when it was first announced

In the modern gaming landscape, high-fidelity CGI trailers are often the standard for major announcements, yet they rarely reflect the actual state of the product. When a teaser arrives years before a projected release, it is generally understood that the project is in its infancy. However, it is remarkably rare for a studio leader to openly admit that they had almost nothing to show when the marketing campaign officially began.

Philip Holt, the head of Undead Labs, recently provided a candid look behind the curtain regarding the 2020 reveal of the Xbox-exclusive survival title, State of Decay 3. In a detailed discussion with Sunny Games intended to highlight upcoming technical milestones, Holt revealed that the game was essentially non-existent when the cinematic trailer first aired.

“There really wasn’t a game or a game team when we were working on that trailer,” Holt admitted. “It was incredibly early; we had maybe four or five people involved. The entire game was basically just a Word document at that stage.”

The 2020 footage was entirely pre-rendered, serving more as a “mood board” than a demonstration of features. According to Holt, the trailer was a visual representation of concepts the team found intriguing, rather than a roadmap of confirmed mechanics. This confirms long-standing rumors; a previous report by Kotaku suggested that Undead Labs felt immense pressure from Microsoft to debut the title long before it reached a playable state.

That premature spotlight reportedly led to significant internal friction. The studio allegedly struggled to reconcile the expectations set by the cinematic—such as the appearance of infected wildlife—with the practicalities of development. This disconnect, combined with management pressure to satisfy corporate stakeholders, contributed to a period of turbulence and staff turnover within the studio.

This “smoke and mirrors” approach to game reveals is an industry-wide phenomenon. Titles are often showcased at major events like The Game Awards to generate hype and bolster stock confidence, only to vanish into “development hell” for years. By the time these games resurface, fans often notice a stark contrast between the initial vision and the final product. When development is in its embryonic stages, third-party animation houses are often given creative liberty to fill in the blanks, leading to promises that the developers themselves may not be able to keep.

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While State of Decay 3 is finally beginning to take a more concrete shape, Holt’s recent comments serve as a cautionary tale about the gap between marketing and reality. He was quick to manage expectations regarding one specific element of the original teaser that captured the internet’s imagination: the infected deer.

“We’re not doing zombie animals,” Holt clarified, effectively closing the book on one of the trailer’s most famous “Word document” ideas.

Source: Polygon