http://www.examiner.com/video-game-industry-in-san-francisco/preview-hands-on-with-dead-island
With a great upside such as crafting, there has to be a downside: longevity. The more you use a weapon, the more worn it becomes, eventually breaking down and requiring a replacement. Crafting extends the life of armaments so it's in your best interest to mix and match your heart out. However, this feature also comes with conditions."You collect crafting skills as you progress through the game, but you basically take all the material that you find on the island, but things are limited to material that makes sense," says Square Enix Production Manager, Andrew Ahn. So while an axe and shotgun sound like love at first sight, it's probably not feasible given the realistic boundaries placed in the game. Sorry guys.
