How Techland Proves There Are Still Developers With Passion

When I first heard about Dying Light 2, I was hyped. The game promised to be even better than the first one, which got me excited. But, like many others, I noticed some issues when it launched. However, Techland didn’t give up. They listened to our feedback and worked hard to fix those problems. It’s pretty impressive to see how they’ve kept improving the game over time, and I think it’s time we appreciate their efforts.

When Dying Light 2 first launched, I was among the eager players ready to dive into its world of post-apocalyptic survival. However, my e͏͏x͏c͏͏it͏͏͏emen͏t͏ ͏͏q͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏ic͏͏͏kl͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏ ͏tu͏r͏ned͏͏ t͏͏o͏͏͏ d͏i͏s͏ap͏p͏͏͏͏͏oint͏m͏e͏͏n͏͏͏t ͏͏as͏ ͏͏͏I͏͏͏ ͏en͏͏͏c͏ou͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏ed͏ ͏a͏͏͏͏͏ sl͏e͏͏͏͏w o͏f͏͏ ͏tec͏͏hn͏ic͏͏a͏͏͏l͏͏ gli͏͏tch͏es,͏ ͏f͏͏r͏o͏͏m͏ b͏͏͏ug͏s͏ ͏͏͏a͏͏n͏͏͏d ͏p͏e͏͏͏rf͏o͏rm͏a͏͏n͏c͏͏e ͏issu͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏ t͏o ͏͏͏͏n͏͏ar͏͏͏r͏a͏tiv͏e ͏in͏c͏o͏͏͏n͏si͏s͏͏͏t͏͏e͏͏͏n͏ci͏͏es. C͏͏͏͏r͏i͏͏ti͏c͏͏s͏ ͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏el͏t ͏th͏e͏͏ sa͏͏m͏e͏͏, ca͏͏͏s͏tin͏g͏ ͏͏d͏ou͏͏͏bt͏͏͏͏͏͏ on ͏th͏͏͏e͏ g͏͏a͏͏me͏͏͏͏’͏s ͏f͏͏͏͏ut͏ure.͏͏ ͏I͏t ͏w͏as d͏i͏she͏art͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏n͏in͏͏͏͏͏͏g͏͏ ͏t͏o ͏͏s͏͏e͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏a͏ titl͏e͏͏ ͏wit͏h so͏͏ ͏͏͏much͏͏͏ ͏͏pr͏͏o͏͏͏͏mi͏s͏͏͏e͏ ͏͏͏s͏tu͏͏m͏b͏le͏ a͏͏t t͏͏h͏e ͏s͏͏ta͏r͏͏t͏i͏n͏g͏͏ line͏.͏

The Moment Techland Took Action

Despite the initial setbacks, Techland refused to throw in the towel. Instead, they embraced the feedback from players and critics alike, recognizing the importance of addressing the game’s flaws. Over two years, the team at Techland embarked on a relentless quest to improve Dying Light 2. Through a series of updates, patches, and content releases, they painstakingly worked to solve the game’s shortcomings and elevate the overall experience.

Pilgrims!
As always, we are gathering your feedback and hear your concerns. As far as we understand, a big part of the frustration stems from the pricing of the bundles and the resulting leftover DL Points.

To figure out this issue, we’ve already started working on a couple of…

— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) September 8, 2023

As I continued to follow the game’s progress, I witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of Techland’s efforts, and over time, I saw a positive change develop in Dying Light 2.

The glitches that used to bother me got fixed, making the parkour much smoother, but what stood out was how Techland didn’t just focus on bug fixes. They actively asked for our feedback and listened to make the game better. Seeing Techland care about our experience like that made me feel valued as a player.

The newest Hotfix for Dying Light 2 Stay Human is live! Please check the changes below. We're aware of your feedback regarding the grappling hook and other issues so stay tuned for more information in the future!
Thank you for your continuous support!#DyingLight2 #StayHuman pic.twitter.com/N4PRefQX0o

— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) March 18, 2022

Furthermore, Techland’s dedication to enriching the gameplay experience was evident in introducing new content updates. With each release, players were treated to additional story missions, gameplay mechanics, and quality-of-life improvements that breathed new life into the world of Dying Light 2.

It was clear that Techland was committed to delivering an evolving and immersive gaming experience that kept players engaged for hours on end.

The Controversial Partnership With Tencent Games

After the controversial release, the news of Tencent’s upcoming deal with Techland left many gamers, myself included, feeling uneasy. Tencent has a history of copying games like Crossfire and pushing microtransactions in popular mobile games. With Tencent set to own a big part of Techland, there’s worry that they might start calling the shots creatively, as they’ve done with other companies like Riot Games. 

Tencent will acquire a majority shareholding in Dying Light developer Techland. The studio is said to retain full ownership of its IPs and creative freedom.

Details: https://t.co/2tTRxoJjmo#tencent #games #techland #gamedev #gamesindustry #gamedevelopment pic.twitter.com/7IxRSW4kRF

— 80 LEVEL (@80Level) July 24, 2023

There’s also concern that they might prioritize certain regions over others, as with Path of Exile. While the deal could have some good things, like more resources for Techland, the community was cautious about what it might mean for one of the year’s most anticipated games.

Our caution was right, as then they introduced a never-before-seen microtransactions system in Dying Light 2. They introduced a digital currency called Dying Light Points, purchasable with real money, allowing players to buy bundles and skins in-game. This caused outrage in the community, and we felt disheartened about the game’s improvement, fearing Tencent had taken over.

The Update That Changed It All—Dying Light 2: Reloaded Edition

Dying Light 2’s dynamic day-night cycle and intricate parkour system offer innovative gameplay mechanics, including the addition of powerful guns in a melee-focused game, which has always drawn me to the series and so have other players.

On February 22nd, 2024, Techland added the biggest update, improving the game. Dying Light 2: Reloaded Edition came, adding that most players complained about the game the most: not having guns. 

Not only guns were added, but new cutscenes and more voice lines were added, making the parkour smoother and changing the story’s narrative. When was the last time you heard a gaming developer go so far to please the players?

However, not everything was sunshine and rainbows as the controversial DL Points system remained. Techland seemed to push the idea more than removing this system. Recently, they also enabled you to bypass the game story, allowing you to have guns way earlier in the story rather than later on. They did this by letting you buy the gun pack in the shop, making a story-driven game pay to win.

Despite All, Techland Should Be Appreciated

I agree the game isn’t perfect right now, but Techland has poured its heart into it, just like they did with the original Dying Light. The first game was ahead of its time and still holds up well, both in gameplay and graphics.

But that does not mean that fans should keep complaining about the little things in the game; however, yes, I agree that the game still could use some improvements, but I’ve seen players complain about the littlest things, and many players think the same.

If Dying Light can get this much better in just two years, I’m confident they’ll make it even better than the first one. As long as Techland stays in charge, I trust Techland to keep improving and appreciate all their hard work.