Square Enix grabs Dead Island rights

It has been confirmed that Square Enix is to distribute Techland’s Dead Island in the US as part of a co-publishing agreement with publisher Deep Silver.

Square Enix’s impressive distribution and marketing capabilities, combined with their proven success with launching top-notch AAA titles, makes them the absolute best partner for Dead Island,” Deep Silver COO Geoff Mulligan stated.

We’re thrilled to be partnering with their dedicated and talented team and look forward to collaborating with them in order to bring Dead Island to gamers.”

Square Enix president and CEO Mike Fischer added: "Dead Island is a truly extraordinary title and we couldn’t be more excited about leveraging our unified Square Enix resources in bringing it to audiences in the Americas."

The game enjoyed a rush of publicity at the end of February following the release of a hard-hitting trailer. Some, including MCV, questioned some of the imagery it contained, but the animated short quickly elevated Dead Island from obscurity to premium status.