LogInTechland's Tymon Smektala has joined 80 Level to celebrate the Dying Light series' 10th anniversary, offer a behind-the-scenes look at the story and development of the first two games, and provide some details about the upcoming Dying Light: The Beast.
To kick things off, let's travel back in time and discuss the state of Techland back in 2015, following the launch of the original Dying Light. What was the community's reaction to the first game?
Tymon Smektala, Dying Light Franchise Director: In many ways, Techland in 2015 was a different studio than it is now – smaller, probably less professional, definitely less ambitious – but one quality that was present back then and is still present now is the quality of our team. And I don't mean just professional seniority. Techland has always attracted people with passion, real fighters, and it's one of the reasons why Dying Light is such a popular action survival horror series
When the first game launched, we received an overwhelming amount of love from the community – players supported and praised us more than the media did. The word-of-mouth buzz around Dying Light was incredible, with players recommending the game to each other, which was essential for the early success of the series. At one point, we were the highest-selling new IP of the previous generation!
Was Dying Light 2 planned before the release of the original title, or was its creation inspired by gamers' favorable reception?
Tymon: When we were working on Dying Light, we didn't consider sequels; we just focused on this one particular title. But since it became so successful, we realized that we struck a chord with zombie genre enthusiasts – so roughly about a year after the release of the first game, the early conceptualization of a potential sequel and a bigger Dying Light universe began. After 10 years, we have over 45 million unique franchise players, the number is absolutely amazing!
How long after the first game's release did you begin working on the sequel? How did player feedback from the first game influence the development of Dying Light 2 Stay Human?
Tymon: Early work started right after we released Dying Light: The Following – the DLC to the first game – but it didn't really kick off until the second half of 2016, when a small creative team laid the foundations for the title.
The process was heavily influenced by the feedback and data we collected from the first game, so looking at it from today's perspective, we probably made some decisions that weren't optimal. A good example is how we approached the night experience in Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Data from the first game showed us that the night was so scary for many players that a huge number of them decided to skip it altogether. Thus, we made the nights easier and more accessible. But when Stay Human was released, we heard from many veteran community members that… we had lost some of what made Dying Light special in the first place.
Are there any significant differences between Chrome Engine used for DL and C-Engine used for DL2?
Tymon: C-Engine uses small parts of Chrome Engine, but it is a completely new engine built from the ground up with one goal in mind – to support us in our mission of creating high-fidelity, first-person open-world games. This means the tech focuses heavily on rapid data streaming and all technical solutions that make the virtual world immersive. It was a juvenile tech when we started work on Dying Light 2 Stay Human, but it has developed nicely into a full-grown suite just in time for the development of Dying Light: The Beast.
From your point of view, how would you say the gaming industry has changed over the past decade?
Tymon: I'm not really a nostalgic guy, so I won't say the past was better. Current technology and more powerful platforms give game creators many more possibilities, and it's up to us to use them one way or another. It's good that the current industry is so easily accessible and supports a lot of variety in every possible aspect. We're in the age of almost unhinged creativity – we just need to focus on making artistic and business decisions that will ensure sustainability in the long run.
Recently, Techland announced "the next era" of the Dying Light franchise. Could you please elaborate on what this "next era" entails?
Tymon: It's us looking into the future. We're past the third year of post-launch support for Dying Light 2 Stay Human, we're releasing a new Dying Light: The Beast this summer, and we're already preparing for what will come next. The first 10 years were a growing period for us, where we not only became better developers but also gained a deeper understanding of what makes Dying Light special and unique. Now, it's time to use that experience and knowledge to position the series as the "go-to" title in the zombie and survival horror genres.
To mark the occasion and highlight this new understanding of Dying Light, we also decided to refresh our visual identity – the series and game logos, supporting materials, and even our approach to creating cover art for our games, as seen on Dying Light: The Beast's key visual revealed at last year's The Game Awards.
The key to establishing the goal of becoming the "ultimate zombie experience" will be through the quality of our games. I hope Dying Light: The Beast – the game that bridges the stories of Dying Light and Dying Light 2 Stay Human – will prove that. We're entering the final stretch of development and our current focus is on polishing every edge to ensure top-notch quality. In the current AAA market, quality and polish are of utmost importance, and we plan to keep this mindset for Dying Light: The Beast and all future releases.
If the quality of our games is secured, we can think of additional activities like branching out to transmedia projects – board games, comics, and hopefully movies or TV series in the future.
How does your team handle negative feedback, and how do you support each other? How do you plan to ensure The Beast doesn't disappoint the gaming community as many games in 2024 did?
Tymon: Player feedback is part of the work – it's great when it's positive, but no matter how good your game is, there will always be some voices of dissatisfaction. We try to look at negative feedback constructively, focusing on the merit rather than the actual words or how they are expressed. We make our games for gamers, and if feedback like that appears from time to time, it means there's a gamer behind it who's emotionally invested enough to express their expectations toward the game they love. There's nothing wrong with that!
As for Dying Light: The Beast, we've doubled our QA and playtesting efforts compared to previous titles. Quality is key.
What have been the standout moments for the Techland team over the past decade? What do you consider your biggest achievements?
Tymon: Creating games is a constant rollercoaster, and you barely have time to reflect on standout moments when there's always another one around the corner. As always, all of our game releases are very special times. There's that week before release when you can't really do much – the wheels are already turning, the game is being prepared to reach players, but you don't know what to expect when it finally drops.
With 2025 marking the 10th anniversary of 80 Level, what would you wish for Digital Artists, Game Developers, and the 80 Level team in 2025?
Tymon: Stay passionate and creative. The industry is going through some challenges, but it's not going anywhere – there's light at the end of the tunnel, and if you're truly invested in the process of game-making and have the skills to prove it, there's nothing to worry about. Game development was and still is the best job on planet Earth, and it will continue to be, no matter how the industry evolves.