Techland Releases Major Update for Dying Light 2

Wrocław-based Techland has released "City of Corruption," a substantial free update for Dying Light 2 Stay Human that introduces new gameplay features, story content, and numerous quality-of-life improvements. The update, which launched across all platforms on June 15, represents the largest post-launch addition to the game since its release in February 2022.

In a live stream showcasing the new content, Techland demonstrated their ongoing commitment to supporting the open-world zombie parkour game, which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The studio has earned a reputation for extensive post-launch support, having provided updates to the original Dying Light for nearly seven years after its release.

New Story Content

The centerpiece of the City of Corruption update is a new storyline that explores the darker corners of Villedor, the game's setting. This additional narrative content introduces players to a mysterious faction that has been experimenting with the virus that creates the game's infected creatures, resulting in new enemy types and moral dilemmas for players to confront.

"With this update, we wanted to explore the ethical gray areas that would emerge in a post-apocalyptic society," explained Tymon Smektała, Dying Light 2's Franchise Director. "The new questline puts players in situations where they'll have to decide whether certain scientific advances are worth the moral cost, continuing our tradition of meaningful player choices."

The new story content is estimated to add approximately 4-6 hours of gameplay, featuring fully voiced characters, unique locations within Villedor that were previously inaccessible, and multiple endings based on player choices.

Gameplay Enhancements

Beyond the narrative additions, the update introduces several new gameplay systems and mechanics that significantly alter how players can approach the game:

• Corruption Zones: New high-risk, high-reward areas where the air itself is toxic, requiring players to manage their exposure while searching for valuable resources.
• Crafting Expansion: An overhaul of the crafting system with dozens of new recipes, including traps, consumables, and weapon modifications.
• Nightrunner Tools: Three new traversal gadgets that expand the parkour possibilities: a retractable zipline, impact dampeners for safer high falls, and wall-climbing gloves.
• Legendary Weapons: A new tier of weapons with unique perks and visual effects.

"We've been listening carefully to player feedback since launch," said Łukasz Burdka, Senior Game Designer. "Many of these new features directly address aspects of the game that players wanted to see expanded or improved. The traversal tools, in particular, add new dimensions to our parkour system, which has always been at the heart of the Dying Light experience."

"For us, releasing a game is just the beginning of the journey. Our commitment to Dying Light 2 remains as strong today as when we launched, and we have years of content still planned."

— Paweł Marchewka, CEO of Techland

Technical Improvements

The update also addresses technical aspects of the game with numerous performance enhancements and quality-of-life improvements:

• Improved NPC and crowd behaviors with more varied animations and routines
• Enhanced lighting and weather effects, particularly during night sequences
• Optimized performance on all platforms, with specific improvements for next-gen consoles
• Expanded video settings on PC, including DLSS 3.0 support
• New photo mode features with additional filters and poses
• UI customization options, allowing players to adjust or disable interface elements

Technical Director Bartosz Kulon highlighted the team's commitment to improving the game's performance: "We've been continuously working on optimizing the game engine to deliver better framerates and visual quality across all platforms. For PC players especially, this update brings significant performance gains on both older and newer hardware."

Community Engagement

The City of Corruption update also introduces several features that have been specifically requested by the Dying Light community. A new Game+ mode allows players who have completed the story to restart with all their character progression and unlocked abilities intact, while facing tougher enemies and discovering new collectibles.

Additionally, the update expands the game's co-op functionality with new co-op challenges and the ability to share resources and items between players more easily. The development team emphasized that these features were directly inspired by community feedback.

"Our community has been incredible," said Anna Kubica, Senior Community Manager at Techland. "They've been passionate, vocal, and incredibly supportive. This update includes so many elements that came directly from player suggestions, and we're excited to see how they respond to these additions."

Polish Game Development Excellence

The substantial update highlights the continued strength of Poland's AAA game development scene. Techland, founded in Wrocław in 1991, has grown into one of Poland's largest game developers alongside CD Projekt Red and People Can Fly.

The company now employs over 400 developers across multiple studios and has established itself as a major player in the open-world action genre. Dying Light 2's commercial success and Techland's commitment to long-term support demonstrate the studio's growing influence in the global gaming market.

"Polish game development continues to punch above its weight on the international stage," noted industry analyst Maria Kowalska. "Techland exemplifies the technical expertise and commitment to quality that has made Poland such a significant hub for game creation. Their approach to post-launch content—substantial free updates combined with larger paid expansions—has proven extremely successful in maintaining player engagement."

Future Plans

During the livestream, Techland also offered hints about what players can expect in the coming months. The studio confirmed that a major paid expansion titled "Dying Light 2: Exodus" remains on track for a Q4 2023 release, featuring a new map area outside of Villedor and a standalone story.

The team also reaffirmed their five-year content roadmap for Dying Light 2, suggesting that players can expect continued support through at least 2027. This extends Techland's already impressive record of post-launch support, following the seven years of updates provided for the original Dying Light.

"The City of Corruption update represents just one step in our ongoing journey with Dying Light 2," said Smektała. "We're already working on the next free update, which will focus on expanding the game's combat mechanics with new fighting styles and weapon categories."

The City of Corruption update is available now as a free download for all owners of Dying Light 2 Stay Human on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A cloud-based version of the update for Nintendo Switch is expected to follow in July.