Dying Light: The Beast franchise director Tymon Smektała shares in an interview his opinion that he finds it surprising that not more studios copy the open-world approach of the game series.
What kind of open world do the games of Dying Light offer? Developer Techland has established an open-world concept with the Dying Light series, where you can practically walk or climb anywhere in the game – from the city center to rooftops or in tight niches.
The Dying Light: The Beast franchise director Tymon Smektała expressed in an interview with Gamesradar+ (via YouTube) surprise that other studios have not yet adopted this “go anywhere” approach.
Dying Light as a pioneer for open worlds?
Why is he surprised by this? In the interview, Smektała mentions that the games surrounding Dying Light have always been good at breaking through the “usual walls and corridors” that restrict player direction in open-world games. This gives players a freedom that did not exist before the first Dying Light.
“Dying Light suddenly became a game where you can climb on everything, go anywhere you want, and see the world from the other side, from any viewpoint,” he says in the interview. He wonders and is surprised that not more developers pursue this approach, as he does not understand why so few studios would give players this freedom.
Games like Titanfall, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty are the few exceptions that also follow this path. Similarly, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom move in this direction, although it is again limited by the stamina of the protagonist Link.
With the latest installment, Dying Light: The Beast, this approach is once again followed. Smektała hopes that the team can also open mental drawers for other developers and provide more room for innovation and freedom.
Dying Light: The Beast is set to be released on August 22, 2025, on Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It serves as an expansion for Dying Light 2 but is also intended to function as a standalone. Some players may even receive it for free: Techland is already giving away a not yet released game to its biggest fans
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
