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Dying Light 2, which was originally supposed to launch in spring 2020, has now been delayed again and will not be here until February 4, 2022.
Delayed release dates are nothing new, especially not during the last 18 months. The pandemic has caused any number of games to have their planned launches pushed back for a variety of reasons. However, Dying Light 2 was actually supposed to be here before the pandemic took hold. Now it won't arrive until at least February 4, 2022.
The latest delay to Dying Light 2's arrival was announced today via a statement from developers Techland, which you can read in full below. “Unfortunately, we've realized for us to bring the game to the level we envision, we need more time to polish and optimize it,” the statement reads. The initial date Dying Light 2 had been pushed to was December 7, 2021, so this delay is only an additional two months.
Whether December of this year or February of next, Dying Light's sequel is another example of studios announcing games far too early. Both Marvel's Avengers and Cyberpunk 2077 have fallen foul of it. The reaction to both of those games at launch may well have served as a warning sign to Techland. The studio has already admitted it gave people a first look at Dying Light 2 far too early.
It has been well over two years at this point since Techland started talking about Dying Light 2. Offering up details about its massive map and what's in store in regard to multiplayer elements. During that time, an investigation by TheGamer discovered that all is not well behind the scenes at Techland. A number of former and current employees at the studio spoke out about an alleged toxic work environment.
The shift of Dying Light 2's release date also places it in what is quickly becoming an uncharacteristically busy start to 2022. Techland's most ambitious game yet will now launch a week after Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and a week before Horizon Forbidden West and the new Saints Row. A stark contrast to the release slate at the same time this year which featured Hitman 3 in January, Super Mario 3D World in March, and nothing much in between.