Zombies; a mainstay of video games, and popculure, since the dawn of time. (Or so it seems.) Unlike most pop fads, it seems that the zombie craze never dies and we always have a least one game about those flesh eaters on the horizon. Perhaps that's because we can never get enough of stories that recount the unquenchable thirst of death and it's unfaltering march ever onwards; or maybe we like reminders of how society may be the one thing separating us from animals; whatever the case, we can't get enough of zombie-mania. Which is why it's such a shame that one company who made their name on two successful zombie titles, Techland, seems to have been struck with the Valve curse as they are unable to bring out any sequels. And the latest news from their studio is not too encouraging on that behalf.
On Twitter, not so long ago, it was revealed to us all that Dying Light 2 was pushed back for a second time, only this time it was 'indefinately'. Personally, I can't actually remember the last time that has happened, so I can't be sure whether or not this news is extremely reassuring or incredibly disconcerting. (Although, judging from my title, you can probably see where my feelings ultimate settled.) Don't get me wrong, it's by no means irregular for games to find themselves launched into a pit of development hell, that happens all the time. Just look at 'The Last Gaurdian', 'Duke Nukem: Forever', 'Final Fantasy XV' or, to touch close to home, 'Dead Island 2'. All of those games got caught up in a whirlwind of 'behind the scenes' issues which ballooned development time out of control, and half of those examples turned out pretty all right games in the end. However, when a release date is announced, or even just a window, it's supposed to be a sign that the approaching seas are relatively calm and turbulence will be minimal. (relatively, at least.) But things haven't seemed to play out this way for poor 'Techland'.
Let me try to establish just how monumental this development is. Originally, Dying Light 2 was slated for a Spring 2020 release date. When Techland made that announcement, it wasn't just so that fans could start their hype trains to arrive at the station on time, it was also for Investors and analysts to start making their projections. That is why when such a date is moved, it's important for a new release window to be selected, else everyone ends up in the lurch. Now it would have been easy for Techland to push the game back to later in the year, citing 'difficulties' like CDPR did, but to push that window even further into oblivion speaks to a lack of confidence on behalf of the leadership. Will this game even make it out before the end of this console generation? At this point that seems unlikely, which has the potential to push the game back even further as they are forced to work on next-gen ports. (It would be positively foolish not to at that point.)
Now, it's possible that we as fans are the only one's currently in the dark at this point. Perhaps the team and investors have a 'goal date' in mind that they intend to hit and just don't want to make any promises just in case they have to break another; but that skepticism brewing around this title is sure to effect the mood towards the game and investor trust in the brand. (I hate getting all 'corprate' but I feel it's an important aspect of this story.) Say this title does get a Christmas release date suddenly, so we can expect to see it on shelves comes September, would you believe it? Would you wonder about just what corners had to be cut to meet this new release window? Even if you were a diehard fan of the original, aren't you, as a responsible consumer, going to have this sudden delay gnawing at the back of your mind like an annoying Walker? Maybe enough fans will feel that way to actually hurt those all-important week one sales, which will in turn hurt Techland. Now, that's a worst-case scenario that I just hypothesized there, but it's a possibility that Techland have opened themselves up to.
The key question on everyone's minds right now is probably the same one that raced to your head when you first heard of this delay; why? And for that, I'm afraid, there is no easily citable catch-all answer for us to digest and feel ultimately good about. If we refer back to the original delay tweet there is some fluff about 'needing additional development time to fulfill their vision', but that's so canned they may as well have said absolutely nothing for as much as it explained. (At least CDPR explained that it came down to an issue of bug fixing.) Once again, this maw of reasoning has left room for rampant speculation from folk with no first-hand knowledge of the issue, but what else are we to do?
For my wild speculation, I believe that this delay might have something to do with a vast restructuring of the game's framework, which would explain why this title hasn't been given a release date because they're still putting together what the final vision of the product will look like. When the original Dying Light came out in 2015, it was applauded for being everybit the original vision of the 'Dead Island' project. People couldn't get enough of the mobility of the game and, therefore, forgave the title for some of it's weaker moments. (such as in it's story.) Personally, despite being a lifelong zombie fan myself, I found 'Dying Light' to be largely underwhelming. (Much like Dead Island, for that matter.) Don't get me wrong, the parkour was fun, but in the same way that the newest Ubisoft game's gimmicks are fun, you enjoy them now but you're really waiting for the next game where they get implemented properly. (I just wished that there was more integration between mobility and combat in Dying Light.)
Dying Light 2 seemed to fix my concerns, in that department at least, judging from the reveal trailer; but I felt a whole slew of new concerns rising from the rest that they showed off. Now, these concerns were mostly just my own at this time (the fans practically ate all this up.) but perhaps with the changing attitude towards certain kinds of games, Techland started to see what I was seeing. To be clear, my issue was with the main focus of the game being on the idea of a 'faction dispute' wherein the actions of the player will have consequence. Now, this sort of marketing gimmick has become a stable in modern gaming, so 'no harm no foul', but Techland decided to take it one step further by insisting that the choices of the player would drastically effect the world around them. (Something which flashed me back to 'Saints Row 3' wherein your progress through the story would determine which colour drapes 4 of the city's building wore. Truly a gamechanger.) True to their word, Techland showed off a bunch of 'before and after' shots of districts whose faction flags switched depending on your quest choice, and folk like me were just left wondering. "Is that the best you've got?"
Now, one weak 'consequnce' system isn't enough to sink a game; but when it seemed to be the core mechanic that was leading marketing, it does make someone worry that this game had literally no over surprises up it's sleeves. In all honesty, this felt like one of those 'copy and paste' jobs that Ubisoft would do with their mechanics, and, as I mentioned recently, things have reached the point where even Ubisoft can't defend their own laziness in that department anymore. So what do you do when the people who you used be inspired by change course? You either double down and start a daily blog about the source of you loneliness, cut off all ties and shrivel into a loathsome shrew of a human who's only respite is the sham comfort of unconscious dreams; or just follow suit and pray you're making the right choice. (I'm being hyperbolic for effect.)
Does this mean that the Dying Light 2 game is dead in the water? Not exactly, but this could be a signal for development troubles, or even marketing troubles. As much as there are a loyal contingent of 'superfans' who bated their collective breath for this game, there are a larger public who seemed indifferent and totally forgot this title existed until it was delayed. (A group of which I am a member.) I mean, just look at how their 'Dying Light' Battle Royale: 'Bad Blood', from 2018, practically disappeared from the limelight a couple months after it's debut. This franchise lacks the staying power that the studio need for a successful sequel and I feel like that could have something to do with the choice to delay. (Maybe Techland want to mount a stronger marketing campaign. In their shoes, I would want to.) At the end of the day this is all just guess-work. The real reasons behind this are known by Techland and only them. We can only hope they know what they're doing and that the final game, if it ever releases, is worth the wait.
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