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Dying Light 2 Is in 'the Last Stretch': Techland Refutes Reports of Studio Troubles
Techland Senior PR Manager Ola Sondej and Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektala respond to statements of Dying Light 2 development allegedly being in trouble.
www.escapistmagazine.com
Earlier this month, Polish games outlet PolskiGamedev.pl ran a story claiming the 200-person team at Techland responsible for Dying Light 2 was stuck in a rut. Reports of in-fighting, mismanagement, and a lack of vision for the long-in-development project seemed to signal the ambitious zombie RPG was in danger.
We reached out to Techland to get their side of the story. Senior PR Manager Ola Sondej and Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektala shared their perspective in a wide-ranging interview that also touched upon rumors of a Microsoft buyout, game development during a pandemic, and more.
Do you still plan to launch Dying Light 2 in 2020? Will it utilize Xbox Smart Delivery?
Smektala: There’s a whole team at Techland that works on the announcement of the release date for the game and every piece of info that accompanies it, and I know they want to surprise players, so I don’t want to spoil it for them or our community. The only thing I can say is please trust us — it’s the last stretch for this project, and we need your support.
Where do you think the Microsoft acquisition rumors came from?
Sondej: I think some wrong dots were connected in late 2019, and it snowballed into something larger. We work with Microsoft on a regular basis since Dying Light 2 is also being developed for Xbox One, as well as PC and PlayStation 4. Perhaps someone misinterpreted our relationship.
Has Microsoft or another publisher come to you with an offer to acquire the studio? If so, why did you decline?
Sondej: We do see some interest from potential investors every now and then, but we always make it clear we are independent and will remain independent for the foreseeable future. We have no plans to enter the stock market, nor (are we) currently open to investors or potential buyers. To clarify, we were not in such talks with Microsoft.
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