Undead Labs
| File:Undead Labs logo.svg | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | November 23, 2009 in Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Founder | Jeff Strain |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Philip Holt (studio head) |
| Products | State of Decay series |
| Parent | Xbox Game Studios |
Undead Labs LLC is a video game development company based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Established in November 2009 by Jeff Strain, the studio is primarily recognized for creating the State of Decay franchise. In 2018, Undead Labs was acquired and incorporated into Xbox Game Studios.
History
On November 23, 2009, Jeff Strain founded Undead Labs with the intent to develop games centered around zombie themes. The studio entered into a publishing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios on February 3, 2011, enabling releases on the Xbox 360 and subsequently the Xbox One. This collaboration emerged after Undead Labs declined offers from other publishers who requested games that resembled World of Warcraft imitators. Their initial release, State of Decay, debuted on Xbox 360 in June 2013 and later became available on Microsoft Windows in November of the same year.
A multi-title, multi-year contract was signed with Microsoft Studios on January 11, 2014, to further develop the State of Decay series. Founder Jeff Strain characterized the original game as a foundation for a long-term vision involving several future installments.
Undead Labs ceased development of Moonrise by the close of 2015. During E3 2018, Microsoft revealed its acquisition of Undead Labs, officially bringing it under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. In 2020, the company announced State of Decay 3, targeting Xbox Series X/S and PC platforms. July 2021 saw the launch of a second studio located in Orlando, Florida, dedicated to advancing animation technologies utilizing Unreal Engine 5 for both internal projects and other subsidiaries within Xbox Game Studios. By October 2021, Jeff Strain had left Undead Labs to establish Possibility Space.
In 2022, an internal investigation uncovered challenges related to workplace environment under the leadership of studio head Philip Holt and former HR director Anne Schlosser. These issues contributed to elevated staff turnover and delays in State of Decay 3 development. Microsoft’s human resources inquiry led to Schlosser’s dismissal but drew criticism for insufficient handling of abuse allegations and shortcomings in achieving diversity and inclusion objectives.
On June 9, 2024, Undead Labs unveiled a refreshed brand identity featuring a new logo and website, coinciding with the presentation of State of Decay 3 gameplay at the Xbox Showcase.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | State of Decay | Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
| 2018 | State of Decay 2 | Windows, Xbox One |
| TBA | State of Decay 3 | Windows, Xbox Series X |
Cancelled
| Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|
| Moonrise (video game) | Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS |