Owing to the fact that the upcoming Dying Light: The Beast originally started development as an expansion for Dying Light 2 Stay Human, franchise director Tymon Smektala has spoken about the studio’s decision to price the title at $60. In an interview with The Thumb Wars, Smektala spoke about how Dying Light: The Beast grew well beyond what the studio originally started out with, and how this made the game worth its $60 price tag.
“The only price for Dying Light: The Beast is the one that we’re asking for it right now, so it’s hard to call it an increase, but I suppose the question relates to how we position the game as the next big adventure in the series, which we didn’t do when the game was announced,” said Smektala when asked about the price for Dying Light: The Beast going up. “The easy answer is – the game grew, especially over a period of six months at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.”
He also went into detail about how the studio felt quite energised thanks to Kyle Crane returning as the protagonist for the upcoming title, and how this led to the game growing in scope over time. Smektala went as far as saying that Dying Light: The Beast might end up being the best game in the series.
“We realized from the start of the project that having Kyle Crane as the main protagonist did something to us all – energized us, inspired us, created an ambition to treat this project special,” he explained. “We kept adding, upgrading, tweaking, levelling up the tech behind the game, and one day we came to a realization that Dying Light: The Beast might as well be the best Dying Light game we ever created.”
When it comes to fan feedback about the price going up, Smektala said that they should wait to see how the game turns out. He noted that the game’s 20-hour runtime for just the main story, along with the presence of plenty of side quests and other activities means that the $60 price tag for the title is completely justified.
“I’d ask them to wait until they see the final package,” he said. “I’m confident that when players get to experience the game, they’ll see the price tag – still far from being the highest! – is justified. Dying Light: The Beast runs well around 20 hours if you follow the main story alone, and side quests and activities easily double that. My last full playthrough took me about 37 hours, and it wasn’t even the completionist one.”
Dying Light: The Beast is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 19, with a PS4 and Xbox One version also on the way later. Smektala had previously spoken about the price of Dying Light: The Beast, and how it offers players a complete experience that they can actually finish, as opposed to massive open-world games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows that few players end up finishing.
