Original Dead Island Developer Explains Why It's Making Dying Light Instead of Dead Island 2

Polish developer Techland, which created the first Dead Island, is making another open-world, first-person zombie game, but it isn't called Dead Island 2. Instead, it's making a similar game under a new IP, Dying Light, and a new publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

According to Techland game designer Maciej Binkowski, the developer didn't stick with Dead Island because of its relationship with publisher Deep Silver. "They had a lot of ideas about how they wanted to run the franchise," he told Eurogamer in an interview. "Even with Dead Island there were a lot of moments where we would disagree on the creative vision of the project, so this might have been one of the factors."

Binkowski said that Dead Island was Techland's idea, but the Deep Silver has owned the rights to it since the beginning because it was the best deal the developer could get at the time.

As to the similarities between Dead Island 2 and Dying Light, Binkowski doesn't sound concerned. "They're out to create something different: it's Dead Island, it's a different experience," he said. "It's all very colourful and I guess kind of goofy. So I think we're pretty safe, because our game is much more mature and dark, and we're aiming at different unique features such as freedom of movement [and] the day-night cycle."

Dead Island 2 is being made by Spec Op: The Line developer Yager and is set to release spring 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Dying Light's release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC was recently moved up to January 27 in North America, January 28 in Australia, and January 30 in Europe and Asia.