Former Dying Light Franchise Director Admits Trying to Please All Players at Once Was a Big Problem for Techland

Former Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektała frankly spoke about the problems of Dying Light 2: Stay Human and the conclusions the studio drew while creating Dying Light: The Beast. During his speech at the Digital Dragons conference in Krakow, the developer admitted that after the release of the second part, the team lost focus on the key elements of the series, trying to please all players at once.

According to Smektała, after the release of Dying Light 2 in 2022, the studio quickly realized that despite its similarity to the first game, the sequel lacked many small details that formed the unique atmosphere of the original. Players actively criticized the project: some wanted more tension and horror, others — deeper RPG mechanics, improved parkour, or a more brutal combat system. Opinions also diverged between supporters of realism, a return to the roots of the first part, and those who wanted to see something completely new.

Smektała noted that trying to satisfy all expectations at once became a real trap for the studio. As a result, Techland concluded that quality is more important than quantity. The developers slowed down the pace of work, focused on core mechanics, and began to pay more attention to refining the basic elements of gameplay. This approach was first applied to the further support of Dying Light 2, and then became the basis for the development of Dying Light: The Beast.