Dying Light 2 Targets 2021 Launch in Poorly Thought-Out Update

I'm really quite unhappy about this development update video. The 2021 release window is cool and all, but I can't sit here and say it renews my confidence in the team actually hitting that target.

That was cringe-inducing to sit through. The nerve of the Techland heads to think this was a good idea.

This was like second hand cringe levels of bad. They’ve handled this so incredibly poorly.

I'm so damn hyped for this game. Dying Light was an underrated gem from last gen, what a good game. I prefer to wait 1 year more if we have too instead of getting a CyberMeh situation

As someone who knows nothing about Dying Light or Techland, I thought this was kind of wacky and funny.

wow, cringe warning
that little teaser looked great though

It was clearly a cathartic experience for the DL team. After months of abuse they felt like they need this release. Why are they being judged harshly for it because it didn't fulfill some arbitrary expectation of what an update should contain?

If this were a common occurance I'd agree, but it's a one off (so far) and it looks like they needed to get it off their chests. They're people not robots.

Oh lord...

I laughed but I’m not sure if I was supposed to 🤣

@Hyperluminal “It was clearly a cathartic experience for the DL team. After months of abuse they felt like they need this release.“

Again, I know nothing of what’s being alluded to in the article but this was my takeaway exactly.

This is cringier than a bad haircut, I doubt that this will get released in the next year, let alone this. I still have my hopes up for the actual ham.

Yeah, that was actually kinda funny. They pretty much owned up to the fact that they messed up with announcing it too early and haven’t showed anything. Instead of comparing about abusive tweets they made fun of them whole sorts admitting they put themselves in that position. Then showed proof the game is real, which kinda looked dope.
Also, chill on the workplace allegation thing. Sure, there’s a place for that but it’s not here.
I mean also, I approximate they made fun of the tweets and know there position. There was no sob story about how they had their feelings hurt, they took it in stride with a sense of humor.
You can say what you want, but I enjoyed that.

@IronMike Well that's a stupid suggestion, isn't it? There's clear and obvious context I've pointed out in the article.

@Jaz007 A development update such as this after months upon months of silence is the perfect place to address the allegations. We will not be chill about them.

Honestly i don't expect them to come out and say "we treat are staff like sh*t" so yeah usual PR rubbish as usual. Pretty cringe video all round, i'm not expecting the last gen versions to be great so i'm waiting until i get a PS5 and get that version.

@Jimmer-jammer yeah, and now they're being criticised for it which will most likely sting them again. It's seems inconsiderate.

Sure there are serious allegations to address made by a previous employee but is a game update really the place to expect an answer on such a serious topic with potential legal ramifications?

I don't understand the rationale for saying the update is poorly-thoght out? If anything its the opposite. Clearly they've spent a long time thinking about this and needed to express that they love their job, they love this franchise and all the abuse they're getting hurts.

If this update was more for them then us who can blame them? This article is as poorly thought out at it declares the update is; it doesn't try to understand WHY they may have made the update the way they did.

@LiamCroft a development update the perfect place to address allegations? Really? You'd want something as serious as that shoehorned into an update about a game's development?

I'd expect something like that to get its own vehicle in which to be addressed if it were to be made public.

They're damned either way it seems to me. You want them to talk about it in a development video but I guarantee if they did they'd be criticised by some quarters for not taking it seriously enough and using a development update to discuss such a provocative matter.

That was incredibly #%€hH&$ stupid.
G$£*%€#!!
Seriously though... $@@&!!

@IronMike Nearly a year on and still crying over TLoUP2? Dude why are you bringing up ND in an article about Dying Light 2? You just trying to start trouble?

@Hyperluminal it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation, as per usual on the internet. The fact is, if I were to keep track of the behind the scenes politics of every company I directly or indirectly interact with and take action against them, I would have a very empty house, few clothes on my back and probably be very hungry.

I’m not trying to pile on the author here, but choosing to frame this piece in this way sets you up for critique, as a much lauded company such as Naughty Dog has one of the most well documented and searing crunch cultures in the entire industry. Needless to say, a separate article probably would have been wise.

@LiamCroft Something meant to be humorous is the place for it? We know that wouldn't go well. It's a separate issue, not one that belongs right next to poking fun at angry tweets.

@Jaz007 That initial tweeting gag shouldn't have been there in the first place. This was Techland's chance to share how it is improving its working environment, which is heavily linked to development. Instead, it read out mean tweets.

Not sure why they would need to talk about something that has nothing to do with a game update. I thought it was kinda fun but to each there own.

@LiamCroft Why can't they be separate? How does this video deprive them of the chance to address those allegations? You said this was their chance, so what about this video stops them from addressing them tomorrow or next week? I'm not saying you shouldn't ask for them to be addressed, but you're phrasing this as one or the other.

@LiamCroft and so you choose to critise them for it, as is your right. From where I'm sitting though I looks like you're making a bad matter worse.

They've released a heartfelt update because of the abuse and you've written a negative article purely based on what you think this update should include and not stopped to ask yourself why they've done this, or empathise with their reasons now they have.

Everything you want may still happen. In the meantime this is what they wanted to say, as a team of developers, not some company heads dishing out proaganda, who've had enough of all the nasty internet negativity from people who are putting their feelings first and not recognising that DL are people too with their own wants and needs and threshold of how much crap they can take.

@Jimmer-jammer you're right mate. We'd all like the allegations to be addressed and just because this wasn't the forum fo it it doesn't mean there wont be one or that its being overlooked. Its not related, and I concede I may be clouding the issue but I wish UT on FIFA were treated this harshly in every article it receives instead of getting advertorials.

I didn’t see much wrong with this tbh. I don’t really expect a company to generate hype about a product and focus on negative comments. I wouldn’t watch a Nike advert and get worked up that they didn’t talk about child labour in manufacturing camps in China or such like? Maybe I’ve picked up the wrong end of the stick on this?

Liam you're completely off with this article.

Naughty Dog, CDPR or Rockstar have never come out publicly in video format like this to say they treat their staff like s*it, so why did you expect a smaller studio in Techland to do the same? If you stay silent for teams like Naughty Dog but go mad at Techland that just shows me you have a little teeny bias.

They handled the angry tweets with humour, they joke with their fanbase a lot and are very open, this was very up the alley of Techland if you've been following them like I hope a good Games journalist would do.

Could they have shown more gameplay? Yes. Could they have maybe addressed the allegations in a dream world situation? Yes. But no studios do that in this public format and for good reason, I think CDPR may have sent a statement to Jason S regarding crunch and rectifying it but that's the only high profile situation, Naughty Dog are still pretty quiet on crunch when they seem to be the second biggest offender behind CDPR within the AAA space.

I just feel like this article comes off as needlessly negative and childish, news pieces from a journalist should be unbiased, if you care so much about the lack of addressing for the mistreatment allegations then write an opinion piece on it, simple as mate.

I expect better from you as you're a talented writer when you don't allow your negativity to spill like this.

@DonJorginho I think you've missed the entire point of our site then. Our goal has never been to rewrite press releases and present news verbatim. We have always injected personality and opinions into our writing.

@LiamCroft he's not saying you don't do that and/or you shouldn't do that, he's saying you're not consistent. Please excuse me for hijacking his reply but you don't seem to want to engage with me like the other people talking to you.

Jimmy Kimmel mean tweets are funny.
Techland mean tweets are sad.

At first i thought i was watching Onion News, but no its all for real with those guys really thinking they are being clever, cool, and funny.

I thought I clicked on a Kotaku article for a second. Or found myself on the Reset Era forum.

I'm a bit confused by this piece. Why would an update on whatever this game is address allegations about their work environment? Seems like a weird expectation.

Why do they even mention or regard these people, these rantings are irrational or just edgy.

@WallyWest @IronMike Yeah, Mike didn’t need bring up Neil, most of us haven’t forgotten how we despised TLoU2. Here’s hoping Factions 2 makes up for the game.

@DonJorginho
@Hyperluminal

I don’t usually comment on these kinds of articles but I wanted to mention that I agree with both of you and I do think it’s worth saying that this is indicative of 2021 journalism as a whole. Especially outside of gaming journalism, controversy drives almost all news nowadays and it’s rare to find a news piece that doesn’t have opinion inserted into it. I’ve come to accept that this is how PushSquare does business and I’m ok with it since they usually label it as an opinion piece or a soapbox. It’s pretty standard to have some bias in your articles since it drives clicks, views, comments, etc. The “why do people replay games” article is the exact same. I’ll say that it saddens me gaming journalism is dominated by this. I went to IGN for the first time in years the other day and couldn’t believe what their site has turned into.

Oddly enough I still think GameStop’s Gameinformer is the best example of how gaming journalism can be done. Sad they had to discontinue the printed version.

@ScottyG The printed version isn’t discontinued. I get each month. Granted, I don’t really read lol, but it still exists.

@Jaz007

Wait what?! 😮❗️

Portland GameStops are some dirty liars! They told me the printed version was over and now I get the digital version emailed to me once a month. Hopefully Phoenix’s GameStops can rectify this we move at the end of the month.

It's not confusing or weird as to why they made this, everything you need to know is in the actual video. Their fed up and tired demeaner while they read those messages from pushy entitled gamers that think they dictate when a game should be released. Gamers need to step back and learn some self control.

@ScottyG It costs an extra $5 a year to get physical. Shame the employees lied, but I’m sure your new GS will be better. Mine’s would never do something like that.

@Jaz007

Yes I’m sure the new ones will be better. Thanks for the heads up I’ll definitely get the physical subscription going again once I can.

Why on earth would they talk about any allegations in this?

Great on both accounts, a solid update, and not giving disgruntled whiners their time In the spotlight

@LiamCroft there's nothing wrong with injecting a little personality but this is full blown toxic negativity mate.

It just sticks out like a sore thumb compared to previous works by yourself.

@ScottyG Fully agree with you mate, Game Informer are head and shoulders above the rest, am loving their exclusive coverage on Deathloop right now!

Well I personally don't understand a lot of the comments. As fans of the industry, should we not be expecting that serious allegations are dealt with and opened? Why should I be hyped for a game that may (or may not) be borne of a toxic workplace? Everything is always not the time or the place. I guess what people are saying is yeah that's bad, as long as I get a game that I'd quite like to play.

I get that a promo video isnt the place but this is a weird juxtaposition of the two. Addressing that the game has suffered some development issues, bemoaning mean tweeters, then promoting the game.

@Rudy_Manchego I don't want to jump the hate train for LoU2, but I think it's fair to point out ND has equal or worse allegations, but because they are such an accomplished and popular developer, you'd never see this article about them. There isn't a big reason to treat this developer worse than any other. And the author has also clearly framed it as depriving them of the chance or opportunity to speak on the matter, even though it doesn't really connect. A soapbox on the subject in general would have made much more sense.

@Jaz007 I mean, after reading the linked article it seems like they have quickly pasted together bits of gameplay which still aren't fully decided to be final, either. The problem is that this isn't really anything more than what was shown 2 years ago. In fact, the trailer 2 years ago looked more extensive.

@Jaz007 I completely agree that any abuse in the workplace should be reported equally. I just wouldn't state that because these aren't reported for all studios that any studio should get off the hook.

Techland should defo address these allegations. This video is just weird as it rails on tweets from internet nutters, states it will launch this year then promotes the game.

With regards to ND, Ubisoft, Rockstar etc., I find it baffling that almost all media outlets will happily post the most minor of updates and hype for games yet NOT mention industry abuse at the same time. I think there is room in the media for both. Their products are good but that shouldn't give a free pass.

@ScottyG couldn't agree with you more. This article is embarrassing. The more I visit PS the more I see its flaws rather than its strengths. It doesn't really have an identity. I thought its strength was its interaction with the community but everytime you have something to say that he doesn't appreciate he gets prickly with their responses or in my case I just get ignored. The other journos seem ok. Most of the output here is clickbait. Amazon ads dressed up as guides or frivolous articles 2 paragraphs long on some rumour.

@IronMike No you're trying to start trouble by bringing up something what has no relation to Dying Light 2.

Wow, so much hate. Looking forward to Parkour zombie killing madness. Exploring someplace else, building a rake with batteries and an acid effect.

While The Following was great with content, the ending left much to be desired. Poor Crane.

@LiamCroft then don't harass the company then

@RBMango so you think it was a good idea for dying light game to harass and talk crap to them?

@nessisonett you should be talking to the dying light fans harassing and cussing at the company

@Rudy_Manchego I agree. Both is the perfect way to go. This article kinda feels like it was done because it could be gotten away with easier than a ND, Rockstar game Etc. Basically pick on the small guy. Which in of itself makes it feel disingenuous.