Dying Light dev recalls being told no one wanted to “play zombie games” anymore, but players are still flocking to Techland’s beloved open-world game

Techland’s Dying Light launched on the excellent time: heralding a brand new technology of consoles, the sport was an ideal storm of open-world design, zombie motion, co-op gameplay and survival-crafting mechanics. To this present day, hundreds of individuals are nonetheless taking part in the unique recreation on daily basis,

In an interview with VideoGamer, Dying Gentle lead programmer Andrezej Blumenfeld defined that there have been instances when the success of the sport was closely doubted. Releasing because the zombie recreation cliché was getting previous, there was some fear that the sport wouldn’t be acquired nicely.

“I can let you know that from the angle on the time after we had been working we had been listening to fairly often that, possibly not from administration, however from the individuals who had been strolling by means of the corporate, ‘there are folks nonetheless eager to play zombie video games?’” Blumenfeld mentioned in an upcoming episode of the VideoGamer Podcast.

Blumenfeld, who left Techland to start out Without end Skies developer Far From Residence, defined that it was a shock to see simply how lengthy the staff may assist the primary recreation. Nevertheless, they’re not shocked to see the sport’s continued assist over the previous decade. With large expansions alongside continued DLCs, the staff was solely in a position to preserve supporting the title due to the sport’s fixed fanbase, one that also performs to this present day.

“It was actually large enjoyable to play,” the sport developer mentioned. “It was like numerous mechanics designed in a solution to make it possible for they’re working as [the] neighborhood needed to… and this was like an ideal synergy. So I’m probably not shocked that the sport continues to be supported, whether it is, as a result of [of] the neighborhood. I might be shocked if there was nobody taking part in and somebody who determined to nonetheless, , assist the sport.”

For Blumenfeld, this methodology of maintaining a recreation alive has been an essential lesson. Whereas the just-released Without end Skies might not have the decade-long lifespan of Dying Gentle, it’s going to survive so long as followers assist it.

“That is one thing we realized at Techland,” he mentioned. “You already know, with Dying Gentle 1 or Dying Gentle 2, assist for the sport… it was made for a really very long time. We’re making an attempt to make it possible for folks all the time have one thing to do. I believe Dying Gentle 1 was seven years [old] when the sport was supported.”

“In our case, we’re going to assist it so long as potential,” the developer continued. “It’s not solely from the monetary side. It’s additionally about ensuring that the trusted neighborhood that give us a lot effort attempt to give them again as a lot as potential to make it possible for Without end Skies relies for them.”

Whereas Far From Residence isn’t promoting the thousands and thousands of copies that Dying Gentle has, the staff goes very robust for its debut launch. Within the final two weeks, the survival recreation has bought over 100,000 copies with a earlier 400,000 copies bought on PlayStation and PC up to now. It simply goes to indicate that the Techland work ethic by no means actually dies, even when you depart the corporate, and supporting the neighborhood all the time results in a greater, longer future.