Sacred Symbols+, Episode 130: Techland, Dying Light, and Something Uniquely Polish (Patreon)

In 2015, an open world zombie game called Dying Light came to PlayStation 4, and as unassuming as it seemed at first, it would go on to become one of the console's best AAA third-party experiences, full-stop. Better yet, in early 2022, its long-awaited sequel finally -- finally! -- launches on PS4 and PS5. As a big fan of Dying Light, I (Colin) have always wanted to talk to someone at Techland about their studio, projects, culture, and success, and I've found my man: Bartosz Kulon. Kulon was Lead Programmer on both Dead Island (from 2011) and Dying Light, and he's been toiling away on Dying Light 2 ever since. Our conversation is a fun one, and it's wide-ranging, too. We discuss Kulon's interesting origins in the industry and how he came to Techland. We also talk about the development of Dead Island and Dying Light, the unexpected and meteoric success of both, self-funding projects as opposed to working with a publisher, the special sauce of Polish game development, the game-centric benefits of Soviet-style education, and so much more. You're gonna love this one. I know it.