Dying Light 2 seems to be in some trouble, according to a new report that details a project employees say is in chaos. Techland, developer of the beloved zombie series, has come under fire for a reportedly toxic workplace and uncompromising CEO.
Dying Light 2 is taking a long time to materialize. After some impressive-looking gameplay footage in 2019, the game has been largely silent. Techland has reaffirmed that the game isn't in development hell, but there may be some trouble brewing internally.
In a report from TheGamer, current and former Techland staff explained the company is poorly run - one of the reasons Dying Light 2 is taking so long to release. Much of the criticism fell on the company's CEO, Pawel Marchewka, who sources said has a tough time creating a concrete vision for the studio. According to one of TheGamer's sources:
"It is 100 percent true that there is nothing written in stone in Techland. Dying Light 2’s story was rewritten like six times or so. It could have worked in Dying Light because the project was smaller, but it makes production for Dying Light 2 - a much bigger project - just impossible to move forward.”
More than 20 people have left the 400-person studio in the last few months, according to the report, including key people like Dying Light 2's writer. "As soon as they start challenging [the studio's problems], they’re out the door," one source told TheGamer. This has cycle has led to confusion among the staff, with one source saying they "have no idea what the final game will be, or what the story is. It’s changed so much. People kept quitting, getting fired." Another gave an example of the lack of movement on the project, despite bringing in industry experts, saying the hiring of a former Ubisoft game director was not able to "restructure how design is done in the studio" like it was supposed to.
"Even he, a veteran with 30 years of experience, couldn't break through upper management that is harder to change than the spin of the f-----g Earth."
There's currently no release date for Dying Light 2, but new details are meant to arrive in 2021. This could be sooner rather than later, as a recent leak showcased the game's collector's edition, meaning there are new assets and marketing materials ready to go. Should everything go well, perhaps the game could release this year. Given the state Cyberpunk 2077 launched in, it's also entirely possible Techland may take new steps to avoid a similar misfire. The company was supposed to release the game in 2019 - a window Marchewka set, only to be told by developers that it was impossible, according to TheGamer. The Techland CEO eventually relented and delayed the game.
Dying Light 2 will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Source: TheGamer
