According to Techland, development on Dead Island. Following the release of the stand-alone expansion Dead Island: Riptide, the studio decided against a direct sequel, instead starting a brand new franchise with Dying Light. The zombie-themed action RPG featured no shortage of similarities to Dead Island, but distinguished itself with its parkour movement system, complex day/night cycle, and high-end production values.
Even five years after its initial release, Dying Light is still being ed through new DLC content packs, including one based on Hellraid, a cancelled Techland game from several years ago. Still, fans continue to eagerly await the launch of Dying Light 2. The sequel was announced at E3 2018, but was delayed earlier in 2020, with no announcement of an updated release window.
As reported by Writer Chris Avellone also chimed in, dismissing the report and praising Techland for their work on Dying Light 2, praising them for being a studio that "care(s) about getting it right."
At its two E3 appearances, Dying Light 2 wowed audiences and impressed judges. By all s, the game is shaping up to be a bigger and better version of the original Dying Light, with a deeper story focused on player choice, deeper RPG mechanics, flashier and more brutal combat options, and a more believable world for players to explore, either solo or through co-op multiplayer.
As of this writing, Dying Light 2 does not have a release date, and that's okay. Techland is developing the sequel and publishing it themselves, so they see no need in rushing the game to meet an arbitrary release date. Perhaps this will also help keep Techland from forcing workers to crunch, an unfortunate trend in game development that sees employees worked to the bone to meet unrealistic deadlines and appease publishers. Techland sees no point in announcing a release date until they feel ready. In all likelihood, this path will lead to the strongest possible outcome for Dying Light 2.
Source: VG24/7, olasondej/Twitter, ChrisAvellone/Twitter
