Dying Light 2 dev explains Techland's approach to world-building and story-telling in new Q&A session

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Headshotting goons has never looked this good

If you're hungry for more Dying Light 2 news, then you're in luck, as animation director Dawid Lubryka just took part in a Q&A session during the Future Games Show powered by WD Black.

Following up on Dying Light 2's appearance at the PC Gaming Show, Lubryka explains the closer look we've had at protagonist Aiden and his story, outlining how he ends up in the city, and what's happened in the world of Dying Light since the events of the first game.

Not wanting to give too much away ahead of release, Lubryka goes on to talk about how the game plays outside the main campaign, explaining the "side quests are an important part of world-building in Dying Light 2." By making use of the alignment system, side-quests will gradually shape the entire city, helping or hindering the people that call it home - some of them will side with you over your choices, but others will hold it against you if they don't agree with your decisions. Those decisions can be even more apparent in the game's co-op mode. If your partner makes different choices about the fate of the city, co-op will allow you to "walk in their shoes to experience all those differences."

Lubryka also outlines more about Dying Light 2's story and the way in which Techland has built its world. He says that while "we all have great fun killing the infected," the developers "also want to give you a deep, thought-provoking experience" to allow players to immerse themselves in the world of the game for hours at a time. When it comes to making the city feel alive, he says that as well as the infected that lurk throughout, the game is full of people, each with their own activities and purposes that shape their lives. Fulfilling those purposes might be easy on the rooftops, but it's a lot harder at ground level, and NPCs will act differently depending on where in the city you find them.

It's been a long wait since Dying Light released in 2015, but after a delay that pushed the game out of its original launch window in early 2020, it seems like Techland is finally on the home stretch, with a release date now set for December 7, making for a zombie-filled holiday period.

Just can't wait for Dying Light 2? Take a look at our best horror games list to keep you busy until its December release. 

Ali Jones
Ali Jones
Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.