State of Decay 3: A New Esports Direction?

Considering how State of Decay has been one of the most prominent zombie games in the world, its third sequel is coming in hot and is expected to bring a new promising experience for many players. As the developers continue to refine and work on the upcoming title, it is expected that there are a lot of new features to expect in State of Decay 3. But will we see it also try to expand its horizon by trying the possibility of the esports scene now more than ever?

What is State of Decay?

State of Decay is one of the well-known zombie games of the 2010s, and it has been really relevant at this point in time with the way it has opened up a different approach on the zombie genre. While many games are linear, story-oriented shooters where players try to reach a safe zone (like Left 4 Dead or Back 4 Blood, and even World War Z), State of Decay offers a different experience where players can make the most of their chances by trying to survive the whole zombie apocalypse.

The game takes a more human approach – building a community composed of survivors and even ensuring that the place has enough supplies of food, medicine, fuel, and ammo to survive long in the zombie apocalypse. While the first game (State of Decay, 2013) had its storyline like any other game, it also featured a sandbox mode where players can hold out for as long as they can.

State of Decay is one of the popular zombie games today image

This was followed in the second game (State of Decay 2, 2018), where the sandbox mode was expanded with players following different leadership paths to steer their respective communities into a focus to equip themselves better in the apocalypse. At that point, Undead Labs also continued to reinvent the game, adding more weapon options, potential home sites, and the biggest antagonist of the game, the Plague Heart – which provided a unique system for players to beat in their games.

State of Decay would go on to be one of the popular games loved by the masses. So when the new trailer was released – featuring infected animals – the hype was real, and the fans are now anticipating to see more from the game in the long run. Innovations are expected, and it does seem that there’s more to come now more than ever.

Are Zombie Games a Fit for Competitive Esports?

To be fair, no zombie game has yet to dare to make its way on the esports stage. Call of Duty Zombies has been there for quite some time now, but it has yet to breach the competitive scene given how the latest edition has shifted to the player-versus-environment scheme as opposed to pitting players against each other. Other than that, even the prominent games such as Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood, or even World War Z did not try to enter the competitive scene and instead focused on combat and story-driven adventures.

Most of the esports we know of today usually play on a PVP format, meaning that there is going to be two sides playing at the very least, competing for a bigger goal of either winning a portion of the map or even taking out all opposing players in a given time.

The only other successful multiplayer zombie game we can bring up is DayZ, but like any other zombie game, it is also set in a PVE format, despite being able to bring in massive numbers of players who play either together or against each other. At this point, no zombie game has dared to break the barriers and try a new competitive trend to enter the esports scene.

What Makes State of Decay a Good Pick for Competitive Esports?

In case you didn’t know, State of Decay’s success opened up the avenue for a project called Class4, which was envisioned to be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), much like how DayZ offers its unique approach to the game. However, fan service would push Undead Labs to further refine State of Decay instead of creating something new – leaving this concept project on the shelf for the meantime.

However, the success of State of Decay 2 and its widespread acclaim among many fans has also opened the doors for the said project, which is mulled to be a promising feature for the third installation of the game. With that being said, let’s take a look at what can make State of Decay a good pick for competitive esports in the long run.

An Established and Maintained System

For starters, State of Decay has managed to build a lasting system in its first game and refine it in the second one. The concept of building a strong community composed of different members with varying traits and specializations has allowed the game to be unique on its own. However, the biggest win of State of Decay 2 was the introduction of the Plague Hearts – which proved to be a deadly enemy in its own and affects the entire map, as well as the zombies in it. SOD2 required players to clean up the map of the Plague Hearts before proceeding with their desired storyline. Believe it or not, this can be a foundational opponent for a PVE – where players race to either eliminate the most Plague Hearts or be the first to clear out all of it, but that’s just a concept suggestion to begin with.

State of Decay's system has been consistent in its two games image

It’s Zombies – Or Zeds

What more can we say about State of Decay? No zombie game has ever made it to the competitive esports scene due to the fact that opposing players must have the same advantages as the other side, and having it human vs zombie is not gonna click well, like how Left 4 Dead’s co-op also proved to be fun but not engaging enough to be competitive at most. State of Decay’s zombies are quite as lethal much like other games’ unique zombies, and it is safe to say that the “zeds” are promising on their own to open up an avenue of competitive esports where they present to be the AI opponent of players.

State of Decay Zombies are promising and equipped with smart AI image

The Promise of Co-Op Leads to Esports

Due to the lack of resources in developing the first game, State of Decay never really had a co-op feature to begin with. However, the success of the first game opened up a bigger pool for Undead Labs to bring in co-op in the second game, allowing at least four players to join in on a player’s map and visit their community. Considering how DayZ has managed to make a multiplayer game out of a mod of Arma 3, it is expected that State of Decay 3 will also find its way towards the same trajectory and eventually establish a promising presence of co-op gameplay to allow players to enjoy the game further and take it to the next level – esports integration.

State of Decay's Co-Op has become quite a promising feature image

Does State of Decay 3 Have Esports Potential?

Well, suffice to say, State of Decay 3 is far from release, and all we have are trailers and some development screenshots. It has been a while since an installment in the franchise was released, but all in good time, it is expected that State of Decay 3 will be on the climb for a chance to leave an impression for the competitive esports scene to consider in the long run.

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