Undead Labs still plans to launch State of Decay 3 on Game Pass. Studio head Philip Holt stated that the new title is currently focusing most heavily on its four-player cooperative shared world; the larger player base brought by Game Pass helps friends invite each other to team up.
Holt believes that the audience brought by Game Pass is important for the series' development. Even if some players try it and leave quickly, those who remain may play long-term and continue to follow new entries in the series. He views player invitations and word-of-mouth as a path for the series' growth.
When discussing previous titles, Holt noted that thousands of players still log in daily. The last time he checked the data, about half of the monthly active players had been playing for nearly two years, and about a quarter for over five years. These figures describe the player base of older titles and are not a prediction of the player scale for State of Decay 3.
Holt also stated that the larger player base could allow players from other platforms to join their friends' squads. The studio is currently working with three co-development teams to advance State of Decay 3, though the specific responsibilities of each team have not yet been disclosed.