Franchise director hints at possible Dying Light 3 protagonists

Man holding melee weapon jumps towards brute zombie in Dying Light while a second character with a makeshift shield and sword watches
(Image credit: techland)

Tymon Smektala, franchise director for Dying Light, has excited fans by hinting at potential new protagonists for Dying Light 3 via Twitter. 

After the success of Dying Light 2, many fans have been waiting on tenterhooks for any new zombocalypse content. Luckily, the publisher of the zombie survival game, Techland, has been incredibly active in keeping its audience fed and happy with great DLC content. 

In the run-up to the next Dying Light 2 update, Gut Feeling, Smektala surprised fans by asking his Twitter followers which profession would be the best option for the series' next lead. While he did caveat this by saying that this is no confirmation for Dying Light 3, I'm excited regardless.  

GREat profession to avoid  

Two characters pointing at a skyscraper

(Image credit: Techland)

The debate surrounding which profession is best suited for Dying Light 3 has been hotly argued, with many landing on the prospect of a GRE agent turned good as the best option players could hope for. However, I can’t help but think that we’ve seen that before. 

For fans of the original Dying Light, you may see this option and immediately think of Kyle Crane, the first protagonist. He wasn’t a GRE agent but a hired hand paid to find a stolen GRE file. As the story progresses, Crane becomes closer to the inhabitants of Harran as he fights through hordes of the undead. Without too many spoilers, Crane eventually finds out that GRE isn’t the moral agency he once thought it was and has a change of heart towards the end. 

While this was an excellent story and a perfect protagonist for Dying Light, it means that the GRE agent redemption story has already been completed. For this reason, seeing it pop up again for the third installment of the series would send this excellent zombie survival game backward.  

Unseen potential  

Screenshot of Dying Light 2 at 8K resolution

(Image credit: Techland)

My dream profession to take on head first would be Pilgrim. Before I get comments angrily explaining that the protagonist for Dying Light 2 is a Pilgrim by profession, I would counter this by pointing out that Aiden only fulfilled that role at the very beginning of the sequel. After entering Villador, Aiden’s task is to find his sister and the roots of his mysterious powers, so his Pilgrimness takes a quiet backseat. 

Landing outside the containment zone in Dying Light 2 was a surprisingly terrifying way to start the sequel. While some horrific creatures are lurking within the safety of the walls being out in the open with little protection is a thrilling adventure. 

I’d love to see the story of a Pilgrim that travels from one containment zone to the next, never staying in one place too long and discovering how the disease has impacted the world outside humanity. However, we may never see this story take shape as any mention of Dying Light 3 seems to be few and far between nowadays. 

Elie Gould
Features Writer

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications. 

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they've taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased. 

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