Techland held a second AMA regarding the development of Dying Light 2. And while that elusive release date still remains such, the devs did provide more info on the game, including its open-world mechanics, as well as the factions and connections to the original game.
For starters, Dying Light 2 will take place 15 years after Dying Light, and isn’t dependent on players being familiar with the first game. Also, characters in Dying Light may not necessarily return, though protagonist Kyle Crane will still be mentioned, and his decisions from the first game may still affect the events that occur in the sequel.
Related to that, when asked about the connections to the first game, lead game designer Tymon Smektała didn’t specifically state which ending from the original game’s The Following DLC was canonical. However, Smektała stated that “the events in Dying Light 2 and the events that lead up to Dying Light 2 are very strongly connected with what happened in the first game.”
In regards to the factions, the Global Relief Effort will be appearing, though mostly in the form of open-world events. In fact, associate producer Julia Szynkaruk states that there will be far more open-world events in Dying Light 2 than there were in the first game. “The GRE is such an enormous organization, and they have left very many traces in the map.”
As for the game’s main factions, players will have the option to join either the militaristic Peacekeepers and their mission to exterminate all of the infected, or side with the Survivors, who aim to adapt to the new world. There is also a third faction, the Renegades, that will come into conflict with players no matter what side you’re on.
Dying Light 2 is currently in development for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC, with a 2021 release date.