Taking Inspiration From an Unlikely Phenomenon
Dying Light 2 was originally announced all the way back in 2018, but developer Techland have been coy on the details lately. Originally slated for a 2020 release, the game was delayed indefinitely in January of last year. While we know the game will be bigger than the prequel, with a story that branches significantly, to the point where entire areas of the city are cut off depending on your decisions throughout the game.
Still, players are an impatient bunch. Just look at the vitriol thrown at Cyberpunk 2077 for its numerous delays, eventually leading to a botched and buggy release. Techland aren’t taking that direction however, if the above video is anything to go by.
The video isn’t a true update, but in the age of teaser announcements call it… well, an update teaser? The video begins, in the tradition of “Celebrities read mean tweets” or “Celebrities read thirst tweets”, with members of the team reading tweets they’ve received from fans upset about the game’s numerous delays. The video continues into a statement before a reveal of a couple of seconds of new (gorgeous) footage, including a new breed of zombie.
However, some have claimed that the video leans too far in the other direction, to the point of normalizing the toxic behavior of some fans, or even rewarding it by giving them a reward in the form of new reveals.
Dying Light devs, after reading a bunch of abusive tweets directed at them: "We are proud of having such devoted fans as you, no matter how you express your feelings."
Normalizing this crap or playing it for laughs makes the industry worse for everyone.https://t.co/O2QuEQNmDI
— Brendan Sinclair (@BrendanSinclair) March 17, 2021
Some journalists are reporting that Techland are in danger of repeating CD Projekt Red’s mistakes, as there have been numerous reports of a toxic workplace culture within Techland and claims that the game is lacking direction and that the team are struggling to meet their own promises.
What will the game be like when it comes out? Well, we don’t know. After all, Cyberpunk 2077 turned out to be a historic flop, but we had good reason to be excited. All that we know for sure is that developers are people too, and should be treated as such.