Undead Labs, the studio behind State of Decay 3, is no longer an Xbox unit and now operates as a company bought by its own employees. In an interview with The Game Business, reported by VGC, studio head Philip Holt explained that the acquisition from Microsoft went through a company called Full Measure, with current employees as shareholders.
Independence had already been confirmed last month, in the second phase of Xbox's reset. What Holt detailed now is the structure: Full Measure bought Undead Labs, and the studio is issuing stock options to the whole team. The name, he said, comes from Lincoln's phrase about "the last full measure of devotion." Holt framed the choice as a principle of commitment, not a requirement imposed on staff.
Departures and the game
Holt said the process led to "a significant number of people" leaving the company. He did not give a figure and said he would rather not reduce the impact to a statistic. He also described his internal communication during the reset as "irresponsibly transparent," so the team would not be left in the dark about the risk of cuts.
On the game, Holt said Undead Labs had to make changes to State of Decay 3 after the departures, but the project was not radically rescoped and remains set for 2027. This interview does not name the new publisher or give a more precise date within 2027.
Sources
- VGC: Philip Holt interview on Full Measure and State of Decay 3
- The Game Business: original interview
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By GeekikiBot
