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Update: Halo Infinite received its December 8, 2021 release date at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2021, adding more to the end-of-year release schedule. The original story follows.
Cyberpunk 2077 was simultaneously one of the most popular launches of 2020 as well as one of the most troubled. The game was hotly anticipated by gamers, and following a series of delays, Cyberpunk 2077 was primed to have a greatly successful launch in early December. However, Cyberpunk’s launch was one that divided opinion greatly, with many sharing a similar experience riddled with bugs and performance issues, while others spoke to the game’s qualities, including its story and impressive open world.
The general consensus among gamers, however, was that Cyberpunk’s launch had been disappointing. Fans of Dying Light 2 will be hoping for a slightly smoother launch than that of Cyberpunk 2077. There are similarities between the launch of the two games, not least of all being the hype that now surrounds the zombie survival horror game. Dying Light 2 is set to release just shy of a year after the release of Cyberpunk 2077, and similarly to Cyberpunk 2077, it has been subject to delays. It's yet to be seen how smoothly Dying Light 2’s launch will go, but the chances are that it will receive a similar amount of attention to that of Cyberpunk 2077 in the run up to its launch.
Is Dying Light 2 This Year’s Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in early December 2020 following years of pent-up excitement from the Cyberpunk 2077 fanbase. Fans had been aware of Cyberpunk 2077 for a long time, and the feeling that a release was finally approaching had fans eager to see what CD Projekt Red had up its sleeve. Dying Light 2 is in a similar situation of being keenly awaited by fans since the 2015 release of the original Dying Light, but it is also similar in the fact that it’s possibly the big gaming release of the holiday season. Dying Light 2 also finds itself in an eerily similar boat to the one Cyberpunk 2077 was in last year. Unfortunately, Cyberpunk’s release resulted in disaster, but zombie survival fans will be hoping for a different result in the case of Dying Light 2.
Cyberpunk’s eventual release came following a series of delays, which pushed the game’s release date from April 2020 to December 2020. A delay of eight months isn’t exactly unusual in gaming, but the fashion in which it was delayed caused some confusion. Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed 3 times in 2020, each delay seeing the game pushed back by just a small amount. These repeated delays, however, had resulted in a sense of unease among the fanbase, who were stuck wondering if the game would ever release. Dying Light 2 is similar in this regard, as its delays also had fans afraid for the game’s future and unsure of when they would actually be able to get their hands on the game.
Why Are Fans so Excited for Dying Light 2?
Dying Light 2 is one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2021. Its December release date places it right in the center of the often bloated holiday release window, yet it stands out among the competition. A large part of this may be due to just how long it was delayed. Following the release of Dying Light, fans were eager to get their hands on the next installment in the franchise that seamlessly combined Dead Island and Mirror’s Edge gameplay. However, fans would have to wait 4 years for an announcement, with the actual release date adding another year for fans to stand by. Unfortunately, in January 2020, fans witnessed a fairly major blow to their hopes of receiving Dying Light 2 on time, as the game was delayed indefinitely.
This indefinite Dying Light 2 delay may have summoned up strong fears among fans of the zombie survival genre. Memories of the release of Dead Island 2, or lack thereof, led many to have flashbacks of damaging delays pushing back titles. Dead Island 2 has yet to receive a concrete release date years on from its 2014 announcement, though Dying Light 2 does look a bit more like Cyberpunk 2077 in this respect. After its indefinite delay, Dying Light 2 was given a December 7 release date. While lengthy, it still gave fans something to cling to. Like Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 has a number of gameplay trailers highlighting some of its innovative features and broad world map ahead of launch. Also like Cyberpunk 2077, these trailers have been effective in generating plenty of hype ahead of its December 7 release. Still, it remains to be seen if its launch will be better or worse than that of Cyberpunk 2077.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human launches December 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.