Co-op the key to Dead Island's success, 6500 years of playtime logged online

Dead Island's continued success is down to its co-op, Deep Silver producer Guido Eickmeyer told an audience at GDC Europe today - and he went on to state his belief that it's the "most exciting co-op experience that is on the market."

Eickmeyer was talking on how Dead Island was a commercial hit despite its modest budget, and despite a lukewarm critical reception that included a 6 from Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead.

Dead Island was originally announced in 2007 but lay dormant until an attention grabbing trailer from UK animation studio Axis Productions was released early in 2011. When Deep Silver began work with developer Techland on Dead Island the game itself, Eickmeyer stated, "wasn't in good shape."

Deep Silver then concentrated on concentrating on Dead Island's strongest points and skipping over its weaknesses, and while the end result didn't win over critics it went on to earn over 4 million sales.

Eickmeyer believed it's the co-op that has helped extend Dead Island's shelf life, and backed this up with some impressive stats - since launch, nearly 57 million hours have been racked up in co-op online, which translates into 6500 years of play.

"This is why people are buying this game continuously, months later, and this is why people love the game," he said. "It's why we've got a high user rating. It's the most exciting co-op experience that is on the market."

Dead Island's follow-up Riptide is to build on that co-op experience, as well as adding a host of new features. Expect to hear more on that particular game later this month.