From the studio and team that first brought us Dead Island, when Dying Light launched in 2015 many still felt that at its core it was still a zombie game. Open word, full of quests and crafting and a story - but still very combat heavy. Dying Light 2 is looking to shake things up, where expanding its world, lore, and narrative ambition - it can no longer be classified as 'a zombie game'.

With the help of several key writers who worked on The Witcher 3, plus RPG legend Chris Avellone - Dying Light 2 will not only expand on the narrative potential of the series but also focus on choice. And consequence.

“[One of the] most important feature of the game is the narrative sandbox and the power of choice; choices and consequences," Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektała tells us. "And as you play the game you’ll face many difficult dilemmas and the choices you make through gameplay or through story will change or transform the world around you. We created this non-linear narrative."


This means, in pure game design terms - a world filled with NPCs that you can interact with and play a role in shaping their future. Something that no doubt will bring a new feel over the original Dying Light.

“I don’t think it is a zombie game,” Tymon says emphatically. “We have developed, we have designed, we have come up with the idea that the day is for the living and the night is for the Infected. So during the day you will note that encounters with the zombies don’t happen as often as in the first game. Usually they hide inside buildings and other dark places. First of all, this allowed us to build a part of the city where you really get to encounter humans; you get to work with them; see how they would behave in a situation like this. You know, it’s an extreme situation: technology is gone, civilisation is gone… we didn’t have as many dynamic encounters [with humans in the first game]. So the day is for the humans, but the night is for the infected and this creates a lot of gameplay opportunity.”

Dying Light 2 is shaping up to be one of the games to keep an eye on for 2019 - and for more, check out our full interview and in-depth preview.