2020 wasn’t a great year for Dying Light 2 news, and it seems like 2021 may follow suit. Dying Light 2 was originally supposed to come out in early 2020, but in January of that year the game suffered a major delay, and has been without a release window ever since. Shortly after that delay, Polish reports emerged that the game’s development was a “total mess,” with story beats and mechanics changing constantly as then head-writer Chris Avellone and creative director Adrian Ciszewski clashed over the direction of the game. Only weeks after that report, Avellone was ousted from Techland following reports of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment during his time at multiple studios.
Well, Techland has lost another major creative force, as art director and writer Pawel Selinger has left the studio after 22 years. Selinger didn’t specify why he was leaving in an announcement posted to LinkedIn…
After over twenty-two years, I decided to end my cooperation with Techland. I would like to express my gratitude to the company that has allowed me to develop and fulfill myself for half of my life. Techland, I will always be rooting for you, as well as the great people I have met thanks to you. I wish you that Dying Light 2 and subsequent projects will become world hits. Good bye and good luck!
Some outlets have identified Pawel Selinger as Dying Light 2’s “lead writer” following Avellone’s departure, but it’s not entirely clear if that’s the case. That said, it is known he was instrumental in establishing Techland’s early vision for Dying Light 2 and was likely still working on the game in a key capacity. Regardless of his exact role, Techland losing a veteran creative force like Selinger does not instill confidence.
Here’s hoping Techland can bring Dying Light 2 together, because the first game was excellent, and the preview footage we saw back at E3 2019 was extremely promising. At the time, I thought the game looked just as impressive as another major Polish production, Cyberpunk 2077, although we know how that turned out. So yeah, fingers crossed for Techland.
Dying Light 2 has been announced for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5. The game is currently without any sort of release date.
[UPDATE]
Techland responded to the news with a statement of its own. You may read it here.
