‘I Saw That and I Was Like, ‘That’s Gotta Be Us’ — if World War Z 2 Occurs, It’s Because 30 Million People Played the World War Z Video Sport, Developer Insists

Whereas Warhammer 40,000: Area Marine 2 has helped push developer Saber Interactive to a different degree, it already had a monster hit beneath its belt: World War Z.

World War Z is a co-op third-person shooter developed and printed by Saber in 2019 as a loosely based mostly adaptation of the 2006 novel World War Z, and set in the similar universe as the 2013 Brad Pitt blockbuster.

Saber used its Swarm Engine to render giant hordes of zombies in World War Z, and once more however with Tyranids in final 12 months’s Area Marine 2. The know-how is getting used as soon as once more for Saber’s 2026 launch, John Carpenter’s Poisonous Commando.

In an interview with IGN at gamescom 2025, Saber improvement chief Tim Willits mentioned 30 million individuals had performed World War Z since launch, which is a exceptional milestone for any recreation. However, he thinks its recognition might need influenced some choices made in Hollywood, too.

Final month, The Hollywood Reporter mentioned Paramount had three franchises it deliberate to prioritize when it got here to films: High Gun 3, Star Trek, and World War Z. World War Z was the greatest shock right here, given it’s been over a decade since the film got here out. So why is Paramount keen on making a follow-up?

Enter Saber’s World War Z. Willits mentioned it was his feeling (he hasn’t been advised that is the case in an official capability) that the enduring success of the World War Z online game over the final six years has instantly contributed to Paramount’s want to revive the franchise in film phrases.

“30 million individuals have performed that recreation. Is not that loopy? 30 million distinctive individuals,” Willits started. “They haven’t advised me this — I’ll most likely get in bother! — they haven’t advised me this, however perhaps IGN put this on Instagram, that there is discuss at Paramount about making one other World War Z. Once more, they haven’t advised me this, however I’m fairly positive it’s due to that recreation.

“They haven’t advised me this. I’m guessing!” Willits continued. “30 million individuals. That’s f***ing ridiculous! I noticed that [the Paramount news] and I was like, ‘Oh that’s gotta be us.’”

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After all, this is not the first time an effort to make World War Z 2 was began. World War Z was a business success upon its launch in 2013, grossing over $540 million worldwide at the field workplace (it was Pitt’s highest-grossing movie earlier than the lately launched F1 film overtook it).

Paramount confirmed its plans to make a sequel shortly after, however planning turned patchy after Marc Foster, director of the first movie, introduced that he wouldn’t be returning to helm the second function.

There was an extra shake-up that resulted in David Fincher signing on as J.A. Bayona’s alternative in the director’s chair. Nonetheless, the sequel by no means pulled collectively as Paramount determined to halt pre-production in 2019, reportedly on account of funds points and an absence of momentum, although manufacturing was supposed to start that 12 months.

In 2023, Fincher likened his scrapped World War Z sequel to HBO’s The Final of Us TV adaptation, saying he was glad his film did not make it past pre-production. Fincher advised GQ that there have been some notable similarities between his Brad Pitt-fronted follow-up movie to World War Z and the HBO adaptation of Naughty Canine’s The Final of Us, a lot in order that he was left feeling joyful his venture by no means got here collectively as a result of he felt the different had “extra actual property” to deal with the similar subjects.

“It was slightly like The Final of Us,” Fincher mentioned, teasing what he had deliberate for the World War Z sequel. “I’m glad that we did not do what we had been doing as a result of The Final of Us has much more actual property to discover the similar stuff. In our title sequence, we had been going to make use of the little parasite… they used it of their title sequence and in that fantastic opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style discuss present.”

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The query for followers of World War Z the film is after all whether or not Pitt would return for a possible sequel, or if Paramount would go for a model new forged. In the meantime, any new World War Z film would clearly profit Saber’s recreation, and maybe spark a dialog a couple of online game sequel.

“I’m not speculated to say something, however we’ve got cool stuff to speak about in that recreation in the future,” is all Willits would tease about World War Z.

We’ve received a lot extra from our interview with Willits, together with his feedback on how a big chunk of followers have “assumptions” about the Warhammer 40,000 universe which might be incorrect on account of the big success of the recreation, why delaying Area Marine 2 was the neatest thing Saber ever did, and obscure pleasure about Area Marine 3.

Photograph by Lars Niki/Corbis by way of Getty Pictures.

Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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