Dying Light 2 release date announced – I got a package from Techland! *updated*

**Update 24/06/21**
Yesterday I received another package from Techland, only this time I wasn’t informed it was being sent. Unlike last time, this was much smaller, it wasn’t a poster or a fancy torch, it was simply a black envelope with the games’ logo upon it and an embargo printed on the back (set for when this article goes live – 4pm CEST). I was like a kid at Christmas, does it contain secret confidential information, is there a secret review code hidden within, or is it some saucy snapshots of the protagonist in their summer beachwear? There’s only one way to find out…

Goodies!

Inside this mysterious envelope were three items, two stickers and a card. The stickers displayed the games’ title “Dying Light 2: Stay Human” and the teasing “Dying 2 Know” phrase they’ve been using all over social media lately. The card had both of these upon the front along with some hidden blood splatter which was visible by using the UV torch Techland sent me last time. On the reverse was their Twitch channel “Twitch.tv/Techland” and “Dying 2 Know: Episode 2”.

Was that it? a card with no more further information? Nope, shining the UV light upon it displayed the hidden message, 1st of July at 9pm CEST. So, it looks like we’re getting another look at the game over on the Techland Twitch channel next Thursday at 8pm (here in the UK). I’m still holding out hope that a remastered version of the first game will be launching alongside the new game, but at this point, I believe everyone involved is fully concentrating on the new game, which is launching in December on all the popular platforms.

In addition to this, today saw the launch of the previously leaked (thanks Microsoft) Platinum edition of the first game. This doesn’t appear to be enhanced for the new consoles, sadly, but it does contain every piece of DLC since the game came out. This is out now on Steam, GoG, the Microsoft Store and on PSN (surprisingly, only for PS Plus members) – The PR email said this, but looking online it appears it’s on PSN for all members, but PS Plus subscribers currently get 75% off.

Finally, here’s the new Dying Light 2 gameplay trailer:

*Original article*
Last week we received an email on behalf of Techland, advising that they would like to send us a Dying Light 2 themed package. Obviously, as someone who is ‘dying’ to find out more about the game, I accepted their request and gave my details. What was I going to receive? Will it be an edible treat? Maybe it’s a very early copy of the game? Or maybe they’ve gone crazy and decided to send me a severed body part with the release date etched into it with a scalpel? There was only one way to find out, sit and await the mysterious parcel.

On Friday, there was a knock on my door – it was finally here, travelling all the way from Poland overnight. I wasn’t expecting much, due to the weight on the tracking being declared as 500g, but it was obvious what it was going to be as soon as I laid my eyes on the cardboard parcel. The packaging was a long rectangle cuboid, about the size of a tube in which you ship posters – so I instantly thought to myself, it’s a big movie-sized poster which will tell me the Dying Light 2 release date – it has to be.

I opened the outer wrapping to uncover a long black tube, decorated with a “Dying Light 2: Stay Human” sticker. I was sure of it, it has to be a poster and clearly not the severed rotting limb I originally thought – which is a good thing as I’m very squeamish. However, I heard something moving within the tube as I playfully swung it about like a giant black lightsabre, almost hitting my TV with excitement!

What’s inside this very long tube?

Upon opening the mysterious tube, I spotted a few paper documents and something wrapped in tissue paper – I decided to read the documents first just in case the small item is something important that is explained within the text. The first document was a poster, but surprisingly not a massive one, instead, it was A3 sized – making the choice of packaging pure overkill in my opinion.

The image shows us what Jonathan Creek’s house would be if he lived in this post-apocalyptic world, a huge windmill-like construction built out of a wind turbine and a number of shacks. Again, it says Dying Light 2: Stay Human – which I believe will be the full title of the new game.

I wish I had a house like that!

Also included was a note, as seen below. It informs us that the city is the survivor’s refuge, but it needs our help. It then proceeds to tease us, asking if we want to know more – obviously we do – but they aren’t just going to tell us as it isn’t safe. So, they tell us to ‘track down the clues’ and the information is for ‘our eyes only’ (clearly not any more thanks to the Microsoft Store team…) – they can’t afford the info to get into the wrong hands as we’re the last chance for survival.

It all sounds very exciting and yet, where are the clues? The only other thing on the reverse of this notice is the embargo date of today… Could it be something to do with the item wrapped in paper?

Hmmm, why so secretive?

Before receiving the package, my colleague, Kieran, joked that they may send me a torch with around 5% battery – as a pun due to the game being Dying Light 2. Annoyingly, he was sort of right! The small item was a black torch with the game’s title printed upon it, but it’s not a normal torch. Pressing the button to turn it on resulted in a purple glow emitting from the 21 small LED bulbs, a glow that I’ve seen used many times in police-themed movies and TV shows! That’s right, this isn’t any ordinary torch, it’s one that shines a UV light.

Thinking back to the letter, telling me to look for clues, and the fact I now have a torch that highlights things such as blood, bodily fluids, and messages that are hidden to the naked eye, I had an idea! I laid out all the items included in the parcel and began to shine the torch on them all, ensuring I checked everything for a hidden message or clue as to what the release date could be!

A torch. Unfortunately, the batteries are full, so it’s not a “Dying Light”…

The letter had no hidden message, but the light emphasised an imprinted scratched and worn-out effect which was not visible with my eyes, so I knew I was on the right track. Then, I check out the poster – I had found the answer! Hidden beneath the image were the words, Dying 2 Know – yet another tease and something the developers have been saying on their social media over the last few days. I continued looking… There it was, a date – the 27th of May at 9PM CEST (8pm in the UK) – is this when the launch trailer will drop?

Just next to this mysterious date, it listed the Techland Twitch page: Twitch.TV/Techland – so, this means something is going to be shown on Twitch at 8pm BST this Thursday. My initial thoughts were that we’re either going to get a trailer and the date reveal for Dying Light 2, or they’re going to announce and launch a next-gen edition of Dying Light…

“Dying 2 Know”

Why did I think they would release an updated version of their 2015 game? Basically, Techland has been providing support and new DLC for the game for a while, recently returning and launching new packs that add new cross-over items and even a new mode set within Hell itself! As such, it’s clear they haven’t forgotten this brilliant zombie-hunting parkour game, so remastering it to take full advantage of the new console hardware sounded like something they would consider, to both generate more hype for Dying Light 2 and introduce new gamers to the original story on their shiny new consoles.

Looking at the PSN store, the original Dying Light has three versions available right now – the base game, the game plus the ‘The Following’ expansion, and an ‘Anniversary Edition’ that bundled all the DLCs and post-launch content into one package. 

Then, over the weekend, the one thing happened that I absolutely hate – Microsoft, once again, leaked information via their own store, potentially ruining the surprise that Techland had been keeping a secret. They listed a new package for the original game. I’m not going to get into it, as I don’t agree with what they did, but I hope Techland can possibly have words with them regarding ruining their creative marketing parcels. Either way, the new bundle doesn’t specifically mention that the game is a next-gen enhanced remaster, but I’m thinking it is – for the reasons above.

The game is still popular, there’s a whole bunch of content people may have never played, and the game still looks and plays brilliantly, albeit at 30fps on PS4 consoles. A remaster of the original, running in 4K with 60fps would be more than welcome, especially when the Xbox One version recently got a bump to 60fps via Xbox’s fps Boost function.

Make a note of the date, time and place!

So, do I know more than I did before last week? Kind of. I know that something is going to be shown via the Techland Twitch channel on the 27th of May at 8pm BST, what this is though still remains a mystery. I imagine it’ll be the official announcement of the surprise that Microsoft ruined as well as the launch date or window for Dying Light 2. Either way, I’m excited to see what the developers have to show and have already followed their account and set a reminder so I don’t miss it. I’ll update this article once it’s over.

In terms of the package, I’d like to thank both Techland and Premier Comms for the opportunity, it was a fun package to open and the torch is very useful – it’s amazing how dirty things are when you look under the UV light, I have some deep cleaning to do! 

If you’ve not yet played the original Dying Light game, it’s out on all platforms, bar the Switch (which also may get announced, now I think about it). It’s a brilliant game that is basically the love child of Dead Island and Mirrors Edge, it runs great on both last-gen and current-gen machines, with the Xbox Series version running at 60fps. If you do own it, but you’ve not played it in a while, go check out the digital stores as there have been a bunch of free and paid-for DLCs over the years including collaborations with Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Chivalry, and even a Cyberpunk-style pack!

This was kindly sent to me from Techland