Spotlight
VideoWatch: The totally trustworthy characters who definitely won't betray us
Plus more from Outside Xbox.
VideoWatch: We race buggies around Dying Light: The Following
Driving Miss DayZ.
VideoVideo: Parkouring clones run errands in Dying Light co-op
Plus more videos from Outside Xbox.
VideoVideo: Dying Light - Ian and Johnny have an argument
28 Moans Later.
Key events
5th December 2015
Dying Light Enhanced Edition and The Following release date announced
25th August 2015
13th August 2015
1st June 2015
12th February 2015
16th February 2015
31st January 2015
30th January 2015
28th January 2015
23rd January 2015
3rd December 2014
12th September 2014
12th September 2014
Why isn't Dead Island 1 developer Techland making the sequel?
8th December 2013
Dying Light standalone battle royale game in Early Access next month
Fingers crossed Bad Blood is not A Negative.
Standalone battle royale spin-off Dying Light: Bad Blood will arrive on Steam Early Access in September. The Early Access release will be for PC players only but Bad Blood will be a multiplatform PC and console (presumably PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) game upon full release.
Yet more free content for old Dying Light in new mode Prison Heist
Still coffin up the goods.
Now that's how you support your community: three-year-old zombie game Dying Light just got an entire new prison break-in mode and level - for free!
There's not a lot to this story but it's a nice piece of generosity to highlight: Dying Light's commitment to a year of free content drops continues with a new Gun Silencer pistol attachment inspired by the community and released today.
Zombie kill 'em up Dying Light gets a Battle Royale-inspired standalone PvP expansion called Bad Blood next year.
Developer Techland said Bad Blood comes "as a response to numerous fan requests for a PvP approach to Dying Light, and the recent popularity of the Battle Royale genre among the survival horror fans", which presumably is a nod to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite.
The big difference between the likes of PUBG and Bad Blood, however, is Bad Blood is only for six players, and it blends PvP with PvE. Here's how it works: you and five other players are dropped into a hostile, zombie-infested area. Each player has to evacuate before the night falls. You have to scavenge for weapons while harvesting blood samples from the infected.
Through delightfully wild events - "collectively blow up, burn and electrify 2 million zombies using beefed up buggies with enhanced Electric Cage, Mines and Flamethrower" - and new content, Polish developer Techland has kept the Dying Light community very healthy. Even now, two-and-a-half years after release, there are around 500,000 people apparently playing the zombie-thumping game each week.
Former Witcher, Gwent designer Damien Monnier hired by Dying Light dev
To work on the new, open-world fantasy IP.
Former notable Witcher and Gwent designer Damien Monnier has a new job - one not a million miles away from his last. He's landed at Techland, Polish developer of Dying Light, as lead designer of a new IP.
Techland is making two new games - and one sounds a lot like Dying Light 2
The other is an open-world fantasy game with RPG elements.
Dying Light studio Techland announced in Poland this week it is working on two new games. I spoke with CEO Paweł Marchewka at the conference Digital Dragons about what they'll be.
Rocket League and Dying Light crossover content revealed
Rocket League teases basketball mode this month.
What do Rocket League and Dying Light have in common? They're both multiplatform and they both have cars. That's not much, but it's enough for the developers of both games to team up and introduce crossover content with one another.
Dying Light Spotlight Edition costs $10m
Includes speaking role in movie, acting lessons and more.
Dying Light Spotlight Edition is a one-of-a-kind package that's easily the most expensive video game bundle ever conceived at a whopping $10,000,000.
VideoWatch: The totally trustworthy characters who definitely won't betray us
Plus more from Outside Xbox.
Hello Eurogamers! You may have noticed our most admirable quality is how reliable we are. Every single week, we can be relied on to provide three videos of above average quality for your viewing pleasure.
VideoWatch: We race buggies around Dying Light: The Following
Driving Miss DayZ.
I've never tried free running because I have short legs and I'm not very good with heights, but of one thing I am certain: it looks very, very tiring.
Dying Light's free Destiny-spoofing #DrinkForDLC content revealed
New water-based challenges due in February.
Back in June Dying Light developer Techland decided to take the piss out of Activision by mocking its bizarre promotion to grant exclusive Destiny DLC only to North American players who drink Red Bull. To spoof this, Techland said it would grant DLC to those worldwide who drink water. All they had to do was post a picture or video of themselves guzzling H2O on Twitter with the hashtag #DrinkForDLC.
Dying Light Enhanced Edition and The Following release date announced
Better graphics! Better performance! Better AI...
Dying Light's The Following expansion will launch 9th February 2016, Polish developer Techland has announced, alongside - as well as included within - a newly unveiled Enhanced Edition of the game. This is for all three formats: PC, PS4, Xbox One.
The Enhanced Edition does what a Game of the Year Edition would typically do - bundle the game and all downloadable content - but with added relish. The enhancements and added extras apparently took half-a-year to create.
The enhancements include:
Dying Light's next DLC is so big Techland is raising the price
Two weeks warning until Season Pass price is hiked, too.
Dying Light's The Following DLC has grown so big the developer will now charge extra for it.
Surprise! Dying Light now has a co-op console demo
11.47GB on Xbox One.
Zombie shooter Dying Light has been out for a while, so the launch of a co-op console demo this week comes as something of a surprise.
Watch 15 minutes of Dying Light's The Following expansion
Dune buggies! Crossbows! Giant open-world!
Dying Light developer Techland has released a 15-minute video detailing The Following, an enormous expansion to its popular first-person zombie survival game.
The Following is set in the country rather than the city, and its map will be larger than all other Dying Light maps combined. Its plot concerns a cult that appears to have immunity to the zombie outbreak, but it's unclear how. You've gone to investigate.
Notable additions include upgradeable dune buggies, crossbows, submachine guns and more.
Dying Light expansion The Following announced
UPDATE: First gameplay trailer revealed.
UPDATE 13TH AUGUST: The first gameplay trailer for The Following expansion has been revealed. The US price of $14.99 has also been revealed, but European pricing is still to be confirmed - as is the release date.
ORIGINAL STORY 29TH JULY: Techland has announced a "massive" Dying Light expansion called The Following, which will bring among things, drivable all-terrain dirt buggies to the game (you can see someone driving in a screenshot below).
The expansion will feature a large new map that is the size of all previous Dying Light maps combined, apparently, and pack both new features and story.
Dying Light dev takes the piss out of Destiny's Red Bull promo
UPDATE: Major Nelson takes part in it.
UPDATE 26/06/2015 11.17pm: Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has partaken in Dying Light's #DrinkForDLC promotion, as one can see in the following Vine:
Techland insists Hellraid isn't cancelled
Dying Light passes 4.5m players, and Call of Juarez could return.
Dying Light developer Techland has assured me dark fantasy action game Hellraid has not been cancelled. Development has been "frozen" but may be thawed as soon as third quarter this calendar year.
CEO Pawel Marchewka also told me Dying Light has 4.5 million unique users, the last count being 3.2 million mid-March. That doesn't strictly equal sales, but more on that and Dying Light - and the future Call of Juarez - later.
Hellraid first. "No no no," Marchewka responded at Polish games conference Digital Dragons when I asked if the game had been cancelled - it had been ominously announced as "on hold" only hours before.
Dying Light DLC The Bozak Horde out soon
Best stealth weapon in the game up for grabs.
The Bozak Horde downloadable content for zombie kill 'em up Dying Light launches 26th May, developer Techland announced.
Dying Light developer tools now available via Steam
Create new maps, stories, challenges, more.
Steam owners of Dying Light can now download the game's Developer Tools pack and begin creating their own custom content.
Dying Light to unlock super-powered abilities for April Fools' Day
Modifier to last just 24 hours.
Zombie survival horror Dying Light will change tomorrow, 1st April, to feature super-powered player abilities.
Dying Light has reached 3.2m players
A new record for Techland.
Dying Light has currently reached 3.2m players, developer Techland has announced.
Yesterday Techland released the hard mode update for zombie kill 'em up Dying Light, and it added a short video message to the game.
Physical Dying Light sales overtake The Order and Evolve in UK
Despite the download version launching a month ago.
In the world of physical game sales, Dying Light is a roaring success despite the download version launching a month ago.
There had been some concern that the delay of the release of the boxed retail version of Techland's zombie kill-'em-up would affect its sales. But it's already outdone two other high-profile games after just two weeks on sale.
UK sales company Chart-Track revealed today that Dying Light has already outsold PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886 (launched 20th February) and 2K Games 4v1 shooter Evolve (launched 10th February) after just two weeks on sale in shops - and with the download version going live weeks beforehand.
Dying Light tops UK chart as physical version finally launches
Dragon Ball Xenoverse in third, Dynasty Warriors in 21st.
Undead survival shooter Dying Light has scored the top spot in the new UK all-formats chart.
That's despite the game having been available as a digital download since 28th January. UK numbers company Chart-Track only counts physical copies sold, so this is Dying Light's first chart placing.
It arrives ahead of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in second place and new entry Dragon Ball Xenoverse in third.
As far as outlandish video game special editions go, it's one of the most expensive we've seen.
Dying Light tops US retail sales for January
PS4 overtakes Xbox One.
Dying Light was the most sold game at US retail in January, analyst group NPD has announced.
"In January 2015, Dying Light had the highest first month of sales for new IP in the survival horror genre, exceeding the previous record, The Evil Within," stated the NPD Group's Liam Callahan.
This is surprising as The Evil Within was Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's spiritual successor to his classic horror series. Since Resident Evil HD Remaster set sales records for both PSN and Capcom, one would think that The Evil Within would bring more cache than Techland's follow-up to the middling Dead Island series. (We also recommended The Evil Within while Dying Light didn't quite make the grade, though it wasn't without its charms.)
VideoVideo: Parkouring clones run errands in Dying Light co-op
Plus more videos from Outside Xbox.
This week's working theory at Outside Xbox was that friendly co-operation makes zombie outbreaks 100 percent more survivable and entertaining.
VideoVideo: Dying Light - Ian and Johnny have an argument
28 Moans Later.
Well would you look at that; the new video team's only been together a week and already there are fights breaking out. Techland's Dying Light has caused a bit of a divide in the office, with Johnny having a fair amount of fun and Ian being quite happy to throw it straight into the ocean. It was a toss-up between getting HR involved or making a video, so here's a feature arguing out the pros and cons of Dying Light while Chris and I attempt an intervention on these two.
Apparently the Dying Light mod DMCA takedowns were a mistake, too
ESA issues retractions, apologises.
Yesterday we reported that Dying Light mods had been taken down by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices. The US-based Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which was blamed for the move, has now said it was a mistake.
New Dying Light patch accidentally blocks mods
UPDATE: Modding restored, but you'll need the new patch.
UPDATE 6/2/15 2.50pm: Dying Light developer Techland has restored the ability for fans to mod its new zombie shooter.
Patch 1.4.0 unlocks the game for modding, although you will need the new update to play modded games online.
Anyone with the original version of the game (which allowed for modding, before it was accidentally patched out) will need to upgrade to play modded versions of the game with others.
Digital FoundryFace-Off: Dying Light
Xbox One, PS4 and PC head-to-head.
For some developers, the start of a new generation offers an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and deliver experiences previously impossible on last-gen hardware, while for others, the power is finally there to make enhanced versions of their existing tech shine. Just like DICE's Frostbite and Crytek's CryEngine, Techland's Chrome Engine struggled on last-gen systems, but there's the sense that the technology has finally found its feet on PS4 and Xbox One. Earlier this week, we established that the Polish developer has sorted out most of its performance issues, but with more game hours under our belt we can better discern how version six of the Chrome Engine operates on the new consoles, and factor in the PC version too.
In migrating to the next-generation consoles and PC hardware, Chrome Engine is now in its sixth iteration, with a range of new features added to the mix since the release of its prior outings on the Dead Island titles. Most importantly, the team has switched to a physically based materials pipeline, allowing for a realistic depiction of how light interacts with materials, more closely simulating the real world. Dynamic weather is also included, with adjustments to the wetness (or gloss) properties of objects allowing for an expected level of shine as rain falls. In addition, light probes are pre-calculated and stored as spherical harmonics for each time of day and weather condition with the engine able to dynamically interpolate between them. The overall look is impressive, if not quite as striking as one might expect, but it's clear that Techland has made huge strides in its transition to this next-gen version of its tech.
So let's get down to basics. As we mentioned in our performance analysis, Dying Light operates at a rendering resolution of 1920x1080 on PS4 while Xbox One is in the region of 1536x1080, with both seemingly using a variant of SMAA T2X anti-aliasing. That's usually one of the best forms of post-process anti-aliasing available but in Dying Light, there are some noticeable 'ghosting' artefacts.
Hello darkness, my old friend.
Good news for everyone who fell for the scruffy charms of Techland's Dead Island back in 2011. The developer is back with a new open-world zombie game that is almost exactly the same, but more polished and with added parkour.
Price and availability
PC: Ł39.99
Zombie games are like zombies themselves; they're usually in plentiful supply and come in varying degrees of freshness. That means they're also kind of like tomatoes too, but I'm not sure anyone would pay to play a game like that.
Digital FoundryPerformance Analysis: Dying Light
Initial PS4 and Xbox One results from Digital Foundry.
With no chance to look at final code for Dying Light on any platform prior to its US release yesterday, it's safe to say that we're still in the early stages of our full multi-platform analysis - but we have played enough of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions to offer up an initial look at game performance.
Running on Chrome Engine 6, Dying Light represents Techland's first efforts on current-gen hardware, with a focus on a truly open city built from assets designed to appear physically correct within the game's lighting system. Early last year, the developers boasted that they were targeting 1080p60 for both consoles but, this past December they rolled back expectations by admitting that 1080p30 was the final target. Previous Techland titles have exhibited somewhat unstable performance, occasionally running fully unlocked with a lot of screen-tear, so anything resembling a smooth, consistent update with a solid 30fps would represent clear progression from the studio.
As things stand, we're seeing a capped 30fps with a soft v-sync solution where torn frames are introduced when the game doesn't quite reach its target update. As an open world title, the performance is quite stable, feeling smooth and solid as you explore the massive environment. There is a tangible difference between the two versions when it comes to performance, though. By and large, the experience on PlayStation 4 is a locked 30fps with very minor dips in certain circumstances - at least based on our first few hours of gameplay, which includes a good amount of time running around the city looking for mayhem.
Dying Light has a Destiny loot cave Easter egg
Stealth Destiny article.
Techland's new zombie shooter Dying Light has a cheeky reference to Destiny's infamous loot cave.
Dying Light gets new UK physical launch date, a month late
But will include free DLC as an apology.
Dying Light developer Techland has nailed down a new release date for the game's physical version in Europe - 27th February. That's a month after the game was due to arrive in boxed form - and still will as a digital download - on 28th January.
The month delay affects the game's launch in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. North American physical copies will still arrive on time, on 28th January.
Techland will gift gamers a selection of free Dying Light DLC as an apology for the delay. All physical editions will include the Cuisine & Cargo plus Ultimate Survival Bundle add-ons, free of charge.
VideoVideo: First-person parkour - does it really work?
A mantle piece.
Parkour always looks pretty cool when you watch clips of real-life people with a camera strapped to their forehead make an attempt at it on YouTube. Unfortunately - discounting perhaps one exception - it never seems all that empowering or intuitive when developers try to recreate those moves in-game. Third-person games like Assassin's Creed seem to get it right, so what are first-person parkour titles doing wrong? Our new senior video producer Johnny Chiodini investigates, hopefully while managing to not look down.
Dying Light physical release suffers delay in Europe, elsewhere
UPDATE: Techland points finger at publisher Warner Bros.
UPDATE 21/1/15 7.45pm: Dying Light developer Techland has commented on the wait for physical copies of the game by pointing to its publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive.
Dying Light dev reveals 3D-printable zombie bikini figurine
"Decorate your shelf" with another bloody Techland torso.
You can now 3D-print a bloodied, bikini-clad zombie figurine to celebrate the upcoming launch of survival game Dying Light.
VideoVideo: Can Dying Light make up for Dead Island?
Light at the end of the tunnel, or just another nail in the coffin?
Does a cash injection from new publisher Warner Bros and new generation of consoles mean that Dying Light, the upcoming zombie bashing sim from Dead Island developer Techland, has the ability to surpass its tropical island-based spiritual successors? Our Ian Higton says yes, yes it does - based on his early hands-on impressions with a preview version of the game - and gives us five examples, no less, of why we should all keep an open mind before heading out to Harran.
Dying Light illuminates details on its Season Pass
Adds "Horde" mode, new missions, skins and weapons.
Upcoming first-person open-world zombie game Dying Light has detailed its Season Pass.
Priced at $19.99 (so about Ł13), developer Techland tweeted that its Season Pass will contain three add-ons with a total of one new map, two hardcore missions, three special skins and four new weapons. Partridge and a pear tree not included.
Here's how it breaks down:
Dying Light no longer a PS3 and 360 game
"We have no choice but to leave past-gen systems behind."
There will no longer be PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of upcoming zombie game Dying Light.
Dying Light gets a January release date
Pre-orders include multiplayer DLC where you plays as a zombie.
Techland's open-world parkour and stealth zombie adventure Dying Light is due out in Europe on 30th January on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
North Americans will receive it on 27th January.
Pre-orders come with a free DLC mode called Be the Zombie, in which you invade other players' games as a powerful class of undead called the Night Hunter.
Why isn't Dead Island 1 developer Techland making the sequel?
"Well, you know, we had our ups and downs."
Why isn't Polish developer Techland making Dead Island 2? It made the first game, after all.
Dead Island wasn't fantastic but it was successful - very successful. In February 2013 the game passed the five million sales mark. Five million sales! And for a new IP! Techland clearly did something right.
But what it didn't do was retain ownership of the IP.
FeatureHow Dying Light is keeping the zombie genre fresh
Techland's third stab at the zombie apocalypse borrows from the best.
Dying Light isn't a cool game to like. On the surface, it reeks of a design-by-committee approach to blockbuster development. It's got zombies. It's got an open world. It's got parkour. And stealth. And an upgrade tree. It even casts you as a generic badass dude with a woman who barks orders at you through a walkie-talkie. Heck, it's developed by Techland, who just did the open-world zombie thing twice, to questionable effect, in its divisive Dead Island series. Dying Light should be a banal wreck: the video game equivalent of the KFC Famous Bowl. That's what makes it all the more surprising that it was one of the hardest games to put down at this year's E3.
Dead Island dev delays Dying Light until February 2015
PS3 and Xbox 360 versions still on the cards.
Dead Island developer Techland has delayed its undead open world game Dying Light until February 2015.
EGXDying Light and Frozen Endzone round out EGX Rezzed developer sessions
Schedule already includes Alien: Isolation, DayZ, Volume and loads more.
EGX Rezzed kicks off later this week and today we're very happy to announce the final additions to this year's developer sessions line-up, including Techland's Dying Light and Mode 7 Games' Frozen Endzone.
Dying Light video shows why night is bad news
Zombies' senses heighten, and so does their hunger.
Dying Light is more than just a name for Technland's new zombie game: it's a warning.
Techland shows Dying Light PS4 gameplay footage
Dual shocks.
Techland has shown gameplay from the PlayStation 4 version of parkour open world zombie action survival game Dying Light.
The demo, below, was introduced at the VGX awards as being in 1080p resolution on Sony's console.
The footage shows first-person melee with an axe and plenty of blood.
Dying Light isn't another Dead Island, Techland promises
"We need to prove we have made a AAA game."
Dying Light developer Techland has said its upcoming zombie survival game will be of a higher quality than Dead Island, its first crack at the genre that launched with a number of rough edges.
Dying Light developer Techland opens new studio in Vancouver
Headed by Prototype 2's technical director.
Dead Island developer Techland is opening up a new studio in Vancouver, Canada to assist on the development of its open-world zombie parkour game Dying Light.
Techland shows off 12 minutes of Dying Light
The running dead.
Dead Island developer Techland has shown off a dozen minutes of its upcoming first-person open-world zombie adventure Dying Light (via IGN).
FeatureHow Dying Light's everything Dead Island could have been
And, perhaps, was going to be.
When Riptide released 18 months after the original Dead Island, there was some cause for concern; Techland, a developer not necessarily renowned for the quality of its output, seemed to be pushing itself too far. Those fears were borne out by a sequel that papered over some of the cracks but couldn't overcome the shabbiness at the heart of the original design. When Techland announced another first-person zombie game a mere month after Riptide's release, mere weeks since it announced an all-new game and mere days after the release of a new Call of Juarez, it's understandable those same concerns rise again.
Has a Mirror's Edge-style free running mechanic.
Techland, maker of Dead Island, has announced a new game: Dying Light.
It's described as first-person survival horror with a Mirror's Edge-style free running mechanic featuring a day-night cycle set in a "vast" open world. It's due out on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2014. Warner Bros. is publishing.
In the day players scavenge the urban environment for supplies and craft weapons to defend themselves against an infected population. At night the infected become aggressive and more dangerous, so you have to survive until the first light.
