While Dying Light 2 was released back in February of 2022, the game is still going strong in terms of support and updates from Techland. Mind, this isn’t surprising given how the studio handled post-release support for the original Dying Light, which saw title updates, events and more up to the timeframe when Dying Light 2 was set for release.

With that in mind, we wanted to chat to Techland about the Dying Light franchise again, and what the studio’s plans are for the future, whether some much-needed features wil be implemented (like crossplay) and more. Answering our questions is Tymon Smektala, Dying Light Franchise Director.

MP1st: Are there plans to further improve co-op progression (progress carrying back over to individual saves, etc.) in Dying Light 2 Stay Human?

Tymon Smektała (Dying Light Franchise Director) – We’re constantly trying to improve various aspects of our co-op experience to better adapt to evolving expectations of our community. Narrative progress carried over in individual saves is one of the things that is on the table, though it is obvious that this is also the most difficult to have due to the depth and complexity of changes it requires. I can’t make any promises now, but I can confirm that some co-op improvements and additions are definitely coming.

MP1st: With the release of Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition, what features are the team most proud of implementing since the game’s original launch?

Smektała : All of them! Every feature, every mechanic, every addition is a passionate work of a team of good people that are pouring all of their love and creativity into it. If I were to choose one I’d definitely say the “new night experience” as we managed to significantly change and add to a core game mechanic of the game within a relatively short period of 3 months. We’re also very happy with the recent Firearms Update which added at least 10 additional hours of gameplay to the game, alongside a crazy big batch of tweaks and additions to game mechanics. 

MP1st: Firearms are now out in Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Our Managing Editor (James Lara) liked the game being melee-focused and the whole leaning into the medieval setting with it. It’s interesting to see a game built with a specific combat in mind, only for it to later cater to other ones, and the addition of firearms is certainly a game changer. But with adding these, we assume this brought up many challenges for the team to get the balancing and such right. Tell us a bit about the process of going about adding these weapons, why now, and what kind of struggles in deciding which ones show up, and/or how some operate.

Smektała: It’s a very broad question so let’s try to untangle it bit by bit. We decided to add the Firearms mostly because our community was very consistent in asking for it. Most probably, after 2 years of slashing zombies with machetes and axes they decided they want to score some headshots as well! The biggest challenge was definitely the narrative as we didn’t want to just randomly drop those weapons – the goal was to make sure that their appearance actually makes sense in the world we created. Thankfully our new narrative director, Andrew Walsh, was a big help in nailing it down. When it comes to balance it was actually rather easy. For that we used two “big ideas”: the fact that when you shoot you make noise which naturally draws the attention of zombies, and the idea that ammunition is available in the world, but always “hidden” behind a challenge, for example a horde of zombies. This allowed us to balance the firearms in a very organic way, very much embedded in the game itself. 

MP1st: We know an expansion is targeting a release later this year. Can Techland spill any sort of clues, teases, or anything you can offer, can you share it?

Smektała: We’re still in the Anniversary phase and don’t want to distract players with any new announcements and projects – especially that we’re still working on Nightmare Mode and Tower Raids. So we’ll get back to the expansion when it’s time, please stay tuned just a little more. 

MP1st: Will we see another roadmap for Dying Light 2 Stay Human?

Smektała: Currently the plan is rather simple – in the next few months we will see the release of Nightmare Mode and Tower Raids. Further announcements are incoming, but again I need to ask the community to stay patient just a little bit longer.

MP1st: Are there any particular technologies or recent advancements in game design and software that you’re feeling particularly excited about as a team for your future projects?

Smektała It’s amazing that the whole industry is progressing in many different ways, even in the face of recent hardships that have hit some unfortunate studios. When it comes to what we do there are already some quite exciting ideas for the future of the Dying Light franchise in place, but definitely it’s too early to talk about them just yet.

MP1st: Dying Light has such interesting fiction and setting. Has there been any consideration put into potential spin-offs based on the universe?

Smektała: The ideas are there but any trans media projects – or any game spin offs – take a lot of time to be developed so I wouldn’t expect to see something soon. Yet we also believe in the strength of the Dying Light universe, so we’re constantly looking for ideas how we can expand this world. One of the projects we’ve already announced is a board game based on Dying Light that has been already funded on Kickstarter. I can give you my personal word for it that it plays and looks great and will be an amazing addition to any board games’ collector.

MP1st: When we last spoke, we talked briefly about the ongoing support of the original Dying Light, and how that would sort of be how the team would approach the second game post-launch. It was recently revealed the game is exceeding a million active users monthly. Impressive for something that many wouldn’t consider as a live service, and even more so seeing this success being replicated. In an industry that has had many live services come and go, with so few being successful, how has Techland managed to succeed where so many have failed?

Smektała: I think the key here is our unique relation with our community. When we win, we celebrate together, when we fail our community is supportive and helpful, we treat each other with respect and understanding. We’re very open with our community, giving them space and tools to directly communicate with us. This is our “secret formula”, this is what works for us. 

MP1st: Has the team ever thought about going the full live-service route given how they’re able to cultivate such a dedicated fan base of players? What’s the general stance on that, and what comes to mind for the team when they think of GaaS, and how that fits or doesn’t fit the studio’s core pillars.

Smektała: We’ve settled on a very unique formula with the original Dying Light – premium game with additional GaaS elements – and so far it works and is successful for us, so we don’t intend to change it. But of course we’re closely monitoring all of the most current industry trends, which is needed considering how difficult game development becomes with each subsequent year. 

MP1st: Speaking of having a large community, we know the phrase, never say never, and with how consistent and reactive the team is with keeping Dying Light 2 Stay Human updated, are there any hopes we’ll see crossplay added to the game to unite the playerbase? Anything to share as to why we haven’t seen it yet, or what the team may have plans for it?

Smektała: It’s still an option we’re considering yet all of it is a matter of managing priorities, resources and real value of various features. The dream is still there!

MP1st: How has the recent slew of layoffs and the general shift of the industry affected Techland? What are their priorities as a studio in the current landscape? What’s your take on them, as in why we’re seeing the industry seemingly imploding all at once? Was this in part due to some of the mass hiring done during Covid, or have we just reached that breaking point that so many have been worried about in the last decades?

Smektała: Game development became incredibly difficult due to a variety of reasons – mostly the combination of increasing cost of creating games that meet player’s expectations, global economic climate which is not really allowing people to spend much on entertainment and oversaturation of various media that fight for our limited attention and time. It’s a hard time for the industry, but I’m sure we’ll prevail, using the current situation to further improve methods and processes used during the creation of games.

MP1st: Anything to share on the new Fantasy RPG the team is working on? When can we expect to see/hear about it? Will it use the same engine (C Engine?) as Dying Light 2 Stay Human? Or maybe you can share your ambitions about the project? Is this the “dream” game the team has always wanted to make? 

(Editor’s Note: We asked three questions in total for the new game Techland is developing, and Smektala answered the statement below for all three).

Smektała: The fantasy project is the work of our team in Warsaw Studio and I don’t want to take the fun of talking about their game away from my friends & colleagues. The game’s finger licking is good, that’s all I can reveal! 

MP1st: Has Tencent’s majority stake in the studio changed anything? Has the gaming giant asked Techland to collaborate with its other studios?

Smektała: Tencent is a partner that clearly focuses on supporting its developers. Joining this group gave us automatic access to the experience, opportunities and tools of all the studios that are part of it, which will certainly translate into a higher quality of our projects in the future.