The latest offering from milking of the Walking Dead universe now has a release date. Hot on the heels of a gameplay trailer (below) Activision has announced that The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will be in stores on March 26. Based on and set before the AMC television show, Activision’s first-person-shooter centers around lovable miscreant brothers Merle and Daryl Dixon as they make their way to Atlanta.

Yeesh. After a quick double check of the facts; yes the game in this trailer is in fact the game Activision claims will be out in March. I wonder if there’s a bookie somewhere who will take over/under bets on the number of times this game is delayed. No matter where the line is I’ll take the over because this trailer looks like a Half-Life mod barfed on Left 4 Dead. I’ll eat my hat if this thing sees the light day within a month of the announced release date (well, maybe a hat shaped cookie). The announcement of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct begs a question: What is there to compel someone to play this game? Any and all Walking Dead fans know how the game will end. Daryl Dixon is something of a fan favorite, yes. But are the Dixons strong enough characters to warrant their own $60 back story?