Original Characters in Dead Island 2 - Sam B. Returns from Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide.

Are The Original Characters Going Appear in Dead Island 2?

Dead Island 2 has been around ten years in the making, with three different development studios handling it. With that much water under the bridge, you might be wondering about its connections to the first game, particularly whether the original characters are going to appear in Dead Island 2? Here’s what you need to know.

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A List Of All The Original Dead Island Characters Who Appear in Dead Island 2

Are you ready? Here’s a rundown of all the characters from Dead Island (and Dead Island: Riptide) that you’ll run into while playing Dead Island 2:

Sam B.

Yes, there’s only one character from the earlier games featured in Dead Island 2. You’ll encounter former rapper Sam B. as a non-playable character fairly early on in the game. The fates of the other characters are left unknown. However, at one point, Sam B. does namecheck them all. He even goes so far as to name his gun after one of the NPCs. 

But none of the other characters — Purna, Logan, or Xian Mei — appear in the game, and there’s a reason for that. Developer Dambuster Studios has intentionally been ambiguous about the connection between Dead Island 2 and the original.

So, the answer to the question of whether the original characters are going to appear in Dead Island 2 is that one (Sam B.) will, but the rest won’t. And if you’re wondering who voices Sam B. and the rest of the extensive cast, check out our list. 


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.