Dying Light developer Techland has confirmed there have been no staff reductions following the reported cancellation of two in-development games.
As reported by Pulz Biznesu (thanks GameWatcher), the developer published record losses of 135m zl (£27.4m) for 2024, as per the Polish National Court Register. While the two projects have not been named, it’s presumed one is the fantasy RPG revealed in May 2022.
In a statement to Eurogamer, a spokesperson for Techland said: “Game development is never a straight line, and sometimes fresh approaches are necessary to make great games. What’s important here is that none of the reported changes have resulted in staff reductions. Developers were moved to other projects and are working on a number of games in our pipeline.
“Our primary focus right now is to release Dying Light: The Beast for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. After the launch of Dying Light: The Beast, we will share more about future titles in due time.”
Little is known about the fantasy RPG, though the company recruited top talent from the likes of CD Projekt Red, Arkane, and Guerrilla Games.
“We’re very happy with what we have accomplished with the Dying Light franchise so far,” said Paweł Marchewka, Techland CEO, at the time of the game’s announcement.
“At the same time, our ambition is to introduce a brand new IP that is vastly different from what we have been doing for the past several years. We want to create a fully next-gen experience. A new fantasy epic set in a sprawling open world, fueled by the skills and experience we have gained as a team over the years, infused with new ideas, passion, and creativity.”
Although the record losses are significant, Techland’s most recently released game was Dying Light 2 back in 2022. The first Dying Light, released in 2015, was a massive hit for the company, selling 20m copies as of 2022. The sequel sold 5m in around two months.
The company’s next release will be Dying Light: The Beast, coming 22nd August.
Earlier this year, Techland announced it would be releasing multiple projects in the Dying Light series, including board games and a webcomic. Following these new cancellations, it seems the company is focusing on its most successful franchise.