INTERVIEW: Techland’s Tymon Smektała On Supporting Dying Light 2 Until 2027

As a devoted fan of the Dying Light series, I must say that Techland has truly outdone themselves with Dying Light: The Beast. Having had the privilege to interact with Tymon Smektała himself, it’s clear that this standalone adventure is going to be a game-changer for the franchise.

During Gamescom, Techland experienced a major success with the unveiling of the initial trailer for Dying Light: The Beast during the Opening Night Live event. Subsequently, I reached out to Techland on two separate occasions. Firstly, to gain access to an exclusive extended gameplay demonstration, and secondly, to interview Tymon Smektała, the director overseeing the Dying Light franchise.

In the realm of gaming, I’ve found myself immersed in an exhilarating new journey: Dying Light: The Beast, a solo adventure that initially sprouted as the second premium add-on for Dying Light 2 in 2022. Recently, I got to quiz Tymon about this expansion and the future of Dying Light 2 itself.

Is This The End?

Fans of Dying Light 2 have been eagerly waiting for updates about the second DLC for quite a while now. However, what they received is not exactly what they anticipated, but in numerous aspects, it surpasses their expectations. The latest expansion, Dying Light: The Beast, welcomes back Roger Craig Smith as Kyle Crane, providing players with an 18-hour storyline that sheds light on the long time gap between the first two games in the series.

I’m eager to find out more about Techland’s future plans for Dying Light 2, as the second and presumably last DLC has been made into a separate project.

To ensure proper preparation of The Beast for Gamescom, we temporarily reduced our pace, but still managed to roll out an update for Dying Light 2 on the day of its announcement. As pledged, we’ll continue supporting it for five years. Look forward to fresh content updates, some of which are scheduled for release this year as well.

Reflecting on the triumph of the series, Tymon acknowledged that The Following, the major expansion for Dying Light in 2015, might as well have been a standalone game. However, he emphasized that this time things are unique and distinct.

As a passionate gamer, I was thrilled to learn that The Beast will provide answers to many unresolved questions within the Dying Light series, making it easier for everyone to dive in and enjoy the newest installment. Tymon emphasized that there’s no need for previous experience with Dying Light 2 when playing The Beast – a welcome relief for gamers like me!

Looking back, Tymon confessed that given another chance, they would hold off announcing Dying Light 2 until the game had fully developed and matured first.

In 2021, we found ourselves under a bit of time pressure since we announced it well ahead of schedule. If given the chance, I would have delayed its release slightly to give our team more time to refine and perfect the aspects that distinguish a good game from an exceptional one. It seems like a valuable lesson learned.

Moving ahead, Tymon shared his ambition for Dying Light to stand out as an exceptional zombie-themed gaming experience. He dreams that when people discuss the best zombie games, ‘Dying Light’ would be the first game that instantly comes to mind.

I say it’s already there.

During the interview, I simply had to bring up the topic of ‘Dying Light 3’. However, Tymon was careful not to reveal any details as there are numerous potential concepts in development for the game.

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