When we last looked at indie survival game Dead Matter, the alpha version QI Software was about to ship to backers ran into some unexpected difficulties. Two years later, the project seems to have grown exponentially, recruited experienced developers, and charted a solid path to an Early Access launch on Steam.
Set in a remote area of Alberta, Canada, Dead Matter had ambitious goals from the start: a small team wanted to combine the haunting detail of a raider game like Escape from Tarkov with a systemic open-world game like Project Zomboid. However, after a crowdfunding round, backers eager to get their hands on an early alpha version of the game were disappointed when the QI site went down.
However, after such a bad start, QI Software has been hard at work throughout the pandemic. In a new video, the developers reveal that they have hired several experienced game development veterans and expanded the team. Together they developed a strategy for launching the game in Early Access on Steam, and while no release date has been set yet, the company says it's "coming soon."
The video also showcases some of the improvements that have been made to Dead Matter over the past year. The lighting system has been improved, and the team is using Unreal Engine's MetaHuman system to create more realistic zombie and survivor models.
The loot system has been completely overhauled, containers now spawn random loot that makes sense for the area where the container is located. For example, a chest in a hunting hut will spawn random loot that you would expect to find in a hunting hut, and this will be different from what you would find in a townhouse chest in a city.
This year, the team also ported the entire Dead Matter game to Unreal Engine 5, which QI Software says will help streamline workflows—in developer parlance, that means making things easier.
When Early access, then the full map will not be included initially. Instead, the team decided to limit the Early Access launch to the city of Dead Man's Flats and surrounding areas, which they say will still leave plenty of room for exploration.
Backers have been regularly releasing Dead Matter alpha versions over the past two years, but everyone else will have to wait for the Early Access launch. In the meantime, there are plenty of other zombie games to dive into during the Halloween season.
