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

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Techland’s Dying Light arrived at an opportune moment, marking the dawn of a new console generation. With its open-world design, thrilling zombie action, cooperative play, and survival-crafting elements, the game represented a powerful convergence of popular gaming trends. Remarkably, thousands of players continue to enjoy the original game daily.

According to an interview with VideoGamer, Dying Light’s lead programmer, Andrezej Blumenfeld, admitted that at times, there were doubts about the game’s success because the zombie genre was starting to feel overused. There was concern that the game might not be warmly received by players.

In a future podcast episode, Blumenfeld shared that during our work period, there was frequent commentary among employees, not necessarily from management, expressing surprise about our interest in zombie video games, such as “Could it be that people are still interested in playing zombie games?

Blumenfeld, previously with Techland and now at Far From Home, creators of Forever Skies, shared an unexpected discovery: the length the initial game’s team could sustain it. Yet, they weren’t taken aback by its sustained support spanning a decade. The team managed to maintain their work on the title due to the game’s steadfast fanbase, which remains active and engaged to this day, with large expansions and regular DLC releases.

For Blumenfeld, this approach to maintaining a game’s longevity has proven invaluable. Although the newly launched Forever Skies might not boast a ten-year lifespan like Dying Light, its survival hinges on the continued backing of its fans.

The developer went on to explain, “We’ll keep backing it for as long as we can, not just due to financial reasons. We want to ensure that the community who have poured so much effort into us are rewarded in return. This way, Forever Skies remains a project they can truly call their own.

Although Far From Home hasn’t matched the massive sales of Dying Light, its initial release has been quite successful for the team. In fact, within just two weeks, more than 100,000 copies of this survival game have been sold. Moreover, an additional 400,000 copies were previously sold on PlayStation and PC platforms. This impressive performance is a testament to Techland’s hardworking spirit, which continues even after team members leave the company. By consistently supporting their community, they ensure a bright and lasting future for their projects.

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2025-04-29 19:40