The Polish website Polski Gamedev today published an article on the development of Dying Light 2 And apparently things are not going as they should. Some Techland workers have spoken to the media to complain about the current situation, defining it as a "complete disaster" and making it clear that the project does not have a clear course and that it will most likely not go ahead on schedule.
Investigating the original text, which is in Polish, it is clear that the current situation of Dying Light 2 It's not the optimal one, starting with an employee's statements that pretty well summarize what appears to be the general ethos at Techland: "Dying Light 2 it is a complete disaster. First the game had to focus on the story, then on the gameplay. The mechanics didn't stop changing. The morale of the team is in low hours and the bosses do not know what they are doing ", says the article.
In addition, this person indicates that in the studio it is not yet known how this game should be, that the ideas are changing a lot and that still do not have a vertical cut, a section of Dying Light 2 to serve as a demonstration of the game's key ideas: "The disorganization at the highest levels is shameful (…) Other studies a year before the premiere are concerned with correcting mistakes, we don't even have a vertical cut!"
One of the main problems seems to be the relationship with Chris Avellone, video game designer known for his work on games like Alpha Protocol or Fallout: New Vegas who is collaborating with Techland on the creation of Dying Light 2. The workers reportedly explain that there is a strong disconnect between studio and designer– The former want the game to focus more on mechanics and the latter want to explore the history of their universe. The aforementioned disorganization means that this constant change of idea ends up having a negative impact on workers.
Crunch, an endemic evil that Techland does not get rid of
Another big problem in development is the crunch, forced mostly by Adrian Pyza Ciszewski, one of the biggest managers of the game. According to the sources consulted by the author of the article, Ciszewski is known at Techland for having a fairly aggressive way of treating employees, even going to work at hours, forcing others to do the same: "I heard how he gave people who worked in Dead island, I called them idiots. Even when it was not a crunch period, I would call them at 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. because I was addicted to work and demanded it from others, "says one of the studio workers.
Obviously these problems will affect the launch of Dying Light 2: the Techland game is supposed to go on sale throughout this year, but the developers explain how things are going. will not be published in 2020. In fact, of the five study workers consulted for the article, none gives a specific date, but all point to it coming out, at the very least, in 2021.
At the beginning of the year Dying Light 2 already announced its delay, ensuring that won't come in spring, As planned. They didn't come up with any approximate release date, they just gave "more details in the coming months", something that has not happened yet.
