To our community:
Letters from studio head Philip Holt, and IP co-creator Brant Fitzgerald.
***
State of Decay has an increasingly important voice and perspective to offer. The apocalyptic simulation reflects our values — that in times of great uncertainty, when the stakes are a matter of life and death, our most precious resource is our shared humanity.
Despite the zombie setting, State of Decay is not a nihilistic or dystopian game series. Rather, State of Decay asserts that survival itself is an expression of hope and that there can be no survival without a group of people coming together in mutual interdependence. We rely on those people immediately around us – our families and our neighbors – to push back against the night.
“It took a devastation to teach me the preciousness of life and the essential goodness of people. It took a devastation to reveal the precariousness of the world, of its very soul, to understand that it was crying out for help. It took a devastation to understand the idea of mortal value, and it took a devastation to find hope.” – Nick Cave
As we deliver our last update to State of Decay 2, I am grateful for the energy, commitment, and passion our team members have given to the development of SoD2, across Undead Labs and Wushu Studios. I am grateful for the unflagging support and partnership from our colleagues and friends across Xbox.
I am especially grateful for the support, appreciation, and encouragement from our community of players and fans. It is an absolute honor to make games for a discerning and sophisticated audience and your support and encouragement is so highly valued. Your feedback, critique, praise, enthusiasm, speculation, and passion is the fuel that keeps us moving forward.
But most of all, I am grateful to be a part of State of Decay. Together as the community and the developers, we are creating a lasting legacy with this franchise.
Until next time and with peace,
Philip Holt,
Studio Head
***
Dear Everyone,
I need to thank you for what you did. You made a dream come true.
I’m proud of the game that was born out of this partnership but most of all, I’ll be eternally grateful for the community that formed around it. It honestly feels like home to me. This is an accepting, supportive and truly friendly group that has stuck with us through the hard times and celebrated the wins in equal measure. It was your passion, the drive to share this unique experience, that ensured our very survival as a studio when the future looked grim. Your willingness to trust that we would do our best to support and improve the experience gave us the opportunity to take SoD2 to a place we never dreamed possible. Your acceptance that we make mistakes and your willingness to be patient while we address issues has always been the driving force to do our best for the game. Without you, I wouldn’t have the privilege of writing this note of thanks. That kind of trust is unique in my thirty years making games; that kind of trust feels less like a collection of fans to me, and more like a family.
I’ve made lifelong friends in this community, a priceless benefit of being a part of this amazing group. This community is something special, and I’ll be here with you as we continue to grow, listen and learn together. State of Decay is, at its core, about the family we find along the way.. let’s create a dynasty!
Thank you for everything. Truly.
Brant Fitzgerald,
Co-Creator, State of Decay Franchise
P.S. I think it’s time to get another SoD tattoo!
