Dying Light 2 developer Techland has taken the always-puzzling step of announcing an ‘unannounced’ game. While the studio, which has made a name for itself producing open-world zombie games, isn’t ready yet to talk about the story or even the title, it says it is working on a triple-A, open-world RPG game that it describes as a “fantasy epic,” and it’s recruited some top game development talent to help build it.
While story specifics are scarce at the moment, Techland has shared a first piece of concept art for the upcoming RPG game (above). A figure in traveler’s robes stands in the foreground, gazing out over a confluence of two rivers that spill over waterfalls. Ancient ruins and statues are built on the banks, with a network of crumbling pillars and archways still standing in the turbulent water.
The scene appears to be set in a mountain jungle or rainforest setting, and the ruins appear to be influenced by ancient Roman and Aztec styles. In the distance, more structures can be seen. One of these has a green tiered roof, reminiscent of east Asian pagodas.
Techland is currently hiring up for the untitled game, with dozens of positions open at the studio that range from animation to business development, and level designer to web developer. The jobs posted include junior positions and leadership roles.
The studio says it’s already recruited some top talent from around the games industry, including narrative director Karolina Stachyra and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik, who both previously worked on The Witcher 2 and 3. Lead game designer David McClure worked on Arkane Studios’ excellent Deathloop, and lead animator Kevin Quaid spent eight years with Guerrilla Games, working on Horizon Zero Dawn and its expansion, The Frozen Wilds.
“Our ambition is to introduce a brand new IP that is vastly different from what we have been doing for the past several years. We want to create a fully next-gen experience,” says Techland CEO Paweł Marchewka in a press release. “While we cannot share more details about this project now, we’re all truly invested in it and looking forward to showing it to gamers when the time is right.”
We’ll just have to add this to our list of exciting upcoming PC games – that is, when Techland’s ready to talk about a title, anyway.