Techland Delves Into Creating Dying Light: The Beast in New BTS Dev Blog
Dying Light: The Beast is only weeks away, set to launch on September 19, 2025, for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Ahead of its release, developer Techland has shared a new developer blog, showcasing behind-the-scenes concept art, a deeper look into its artistic direction, and the creative process of bringing Kyle Crane back after more than a decade.
Accompanying the blog is a brand-new trailer, which offers fans another glimpse into the game’s atmosphere and brutal combat. But the real highlight comes from the dev blog itself, which focuses on how Techland visually and narratively conveys Kyle’s journey following ten years of imprisonment and experimentation in the Baron’s lab.
Because The Beast remains an FPP (first-person parkour) game, much of Kyle’s physical transformation needed to be shown through his hands and arms, the most consistently visible parts of the protagonist. Techland explained that these became the canvas for storytelling. Scars and marks from years of torture were carefully designed, while Beast Mode is signified by dark, vein-like patterns running across his skin, meant to evoke menace and the uncontrollable power within.
“In an FPP game, it’s difficult to convey the appearance of a character, since one of the few elements visible are the hero’s hands,” Techland wrote. “We recreated Kyle’s hands from the first game, but added scars and other marks reflecting the torture he endured in the Baron’s lab. The experiments also gave rise to the Beast Mode, which we wanted to be visible in FPP as well.”
The studio also detailed how Crane’s animations and combat style evolved. Animators were tasked with balancing callbacks to Dying Light 1, representing Kyle’s muscle memory and pragmatic fighting style, with stark contrasts when he enters Beast Mode, where his movements become wild, brutal, and reckless. This contrast was key to visually distinguishing the duality of Crane’s personality.
With only weeks until release, this behind-the-scenes dive highlights how Techland is carefully crafting Dying Light: The Beast not just as a sequel, but as a narrative continuation of Kyle Crane’s story. For fans eagerly awaiting his return, it provides reassurance that the studio is taking meticulous care to honor the legacy of its protagonist while pushing the series’ visual and gameplay identity forward.
Do you like how Techland is visually showing Kyle Crane’s torment and Beast Mode transformation through scars and hand design? Or would you prefer a more traditional third-person view to see his evolution? Share your thoughts below.
