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Tymon Smektala, the former Techland franchise director associated primarily with Dying Light, joined Bloober Team’s Broken Mirror Games publishing label on 1 October 2026. His brief is to build an external-development horror portfolio capable of making Bloober the first name audiences think of when they want distinctive, surprising horror games—not to find a literal successor to Hideo Kojima.
Who is Tymon Smektala?
Smektala spent 13 years at Techland, where he was principally tied to the Dying Light franchise. He now leads Broken Mirror Games, Bloober Team’s label for projects made with outside development studios. The move gives the label an executive with long experience overseeing a major action-horror property while leaving Broken Mirror focused on a broader range of partner-led concepts.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Dying Light 2 Stay Human - PlayStation 5 | $25.51 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Dying Light - Xbox One (Renewed) | $15.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Dying Light - PlayStation 4 (Renewed) | $31.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Dying Light: The Following - Enhanced Edition - PlayStation 4 | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Dying Light - Xbox One | $25.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The “next Kojima” wording comes from the assignment’s framing, not from a documented Smektala quote. His stated goal is to identify compelling ideas and distinctive creators whose games can become unexpected successes.
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Broken Mirror is Bloober Team’s publishing label for horror projects developed by external teams. Smektala said he wants to build a platform so that, when people think about horror games, Bloober Team is the first company that comes to mind.
#1 Best Overall
- Includes: Dying Light 2 Stay Human and ‘Bloody Ties’ DLC. (DLC must be downloaded separately.)
- Enjoy the perks of more than 10 post-launch updates. Good luck out there, and stay human!
- VAST OPEN WORLD: Participate in the life of a city engulfed in a new dark era. Discover different paths and hidden passages, as you explore its multiple levels and locations.
- CREATIVE & BRUTAL COMBAT: Take advantage of your parkour skills to tip the scales of even the most brutal encounter. Clever thinking, traps and creative weapons will be your best friends.
- 2-4 PLAYER CO-OP GAMEPLAY: Play in up to four-player co-op. Host your own games or join others and see how their choices have played out differently than yours.
He compared the target to surprise successes in independent film, citing Backrooms and Obsession as the kind of breakout cultural impact he wants games under the label to pursue. In practical terms, the ambition is for players to see the Broken Mirror logo at an event and expect a scary, entertaining and unusual game, even before they know the developer or premise.
How many projects are in development?
Bloober Team has seven projects in development overall: two at its main studio and five under Broken Mirror Games. The label’s publicly named projects include:
Rank #2
- At night, the world undergoes a deadly transformation: the hunter becomes the hunted as the infected grow more aggressive and numerous, and something far more sinister awakens to stalk its prey
- Free Running Movement – Whether tracking prey or escaping predators, Dying Light lets players swiftly navigate the world by seamlessly leaping between buildings, grappling up walls and pouncing on unsuspecting enemies
- Dying Light is set in a vast open world, delivering expansive and varied environments, a wide variety of enemy classes and a hopeless tale of survival where resources are scarce and the infected are not the only threat
- Get up-close using a variety of light and heavy weapons including knives, bats, axes, sledgehammers and more exotic weaponry or utilize guns and other firepower to take down enemies from a distance
- Why use a wrench when you can use a wrench wrapped in electrified barb wire Dying Light's sizeable crafting system enables players to create a slew of new, more potent weapons and equipment, as well as specialized ammunition
| Project | What is established | Platform information |
|---|---|---|
| Saw: Genesis | A licensed horror game in the Broken Mirror portfolio | Not stated |
| Onyx: The Dark Grip | A horror project announced under the label | Announced as a Switch 2 exclusive; handheld mode is required because the game uses the touchscreen |
| Three additional projects | Part of Broken Mirror’s five-game development slate | Titles and platforms not stated |
No release dates, prices or additional platform commitments have been established for these projects in the announcement.
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Idea first, business case second
Smektala described an idea-first model. The label looks for a concept with a strong hook, then pairs it with a trusted developer that has a clear creative vision. Only after those pieces are in place does the team build the business case around the project.
Rank #3
- At night, the world undergoes a deadly transformation: the hunter becomes the hunted as the infected grow more aggressive and numerous, and something far more sinister awakens to stalk its prey
- Free Running Movement – Whether tracking prey or escaping predators, Dying Light lets players swiftly navigate the world by seamlessly leaping between buildings, grappling up walls and pouncing on unsuspecting enemies
- Dying Light is set in a vast open world, delivering expansive and varied environments, a wide variety of enemy classes and a hopeless tale of survival where resources are scarce and the infected are not the only threat
- Get up-close using a variety of light and heavy weapons including knives, bats, axes, sledgehammers and more exotic weaponry or utilize guns and other firepower to take down enemies from a distance
- Why use a wrench when you can use a wrench wrapped in electrified barb wire Dying Light's sizeable crafting system enables players to create a slew of new, more potent weapons and equipment, as well as specialized ammunition
Flexible budgets rather than a fixed ceiling
Chief executive Piotr Babieno said Broken Mirror budgets may be smaller than those of Bloober’s main-studio games, but the label has no fixed maximum budget. Smektala added that AAA scale remains possible when a project’s circumstances justify it. That means budget is expected to follow the concept, team and opportunity instead of determining the size of every game in advance.
Broken Mirror versus Bloober’s main studio
| Area | Broken Mirror Games | Bloober main studio |
|---|---|---|
| Development ownership | Projects made with external developer partners | Two projects currently in development inside Bloober’s own teams |
| Scale and budget | Often smaller, but without a fixed top budget; AAA scale is possible when warranted | Typically associated with the company’s internally developed productions |
| Risk and platform strategy | Concept-led selection can support unusual ideas and selective platform bets, such as the announced Switch 2 exclusivity of Onyx: The Dark Grip | Not specified for the two current internal projects |
| Creative focus | Distinctive horror from a range of outside creators | Bloober’s internally owned development pipeline |
Why is Onyx: The Dark Grip Switch 2-only?
The available announcement identifies Onyx: The Dark Grip as a Switch 2 exclusive and says handheld mode is required because the game uses the console’s touchscreen. That is a design requirement, not merely a conventional platform-label decision: the touchscreen is part of how the game is played. Further technical specifications, a release date and pricing have not been announced.
Rank #4
- Dying Light is now bigger, better and scarier than ever before.
- Discover the untold chapter of Kyle Crane's story. Investigate a mysterious cult as you leave the quarantine zone and travel to a region bigger than all areas of the original game combined!
- Dying Light: The Following introduces the drivable dirt buggy that you can freely customize and upgrade with special weapons, attachments and decals to create your most deadly weapon yet.
- Get all the additional content ever released for Dying Light in one go;Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Intense violence
- Content includes Be the Zombie multiplayer mode, the Cuisine&Cargo challenge missions, the Ultimate Survivor Bundle, The Bozak Horde game mode, and much more.
What this means for Bloober’s publishing strategy
Smektala’s appointment gives Bloober a dedicated leader for a partner-based portfolio while the company continues its own internal development. The label is intended to widen the kinds of horror games carrying Bloober’s name, from licensed projects to experimental concepts that may not fit a single house style.
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The strategy also distributes risk. Bloober can support several outside teams and concepts rather than relying only on its two internal productions, while the flexible budget policy leaves room to scale a project if its premise and execution warrant a larger production. Success will depend on the quality of the undisclosed teams and games; the announcement does not establish launch schedules or commercial forecasts.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- At night, the world undergoes a deadly transformation: the hunter becomes the hunted as the infected grow more aggressive and numerous, and something far more sinister awakens to stalk its prey
- Free Running Movement – Whether tracking prey or escaping predators, Dying Light lets players swiftly navigate the world by seamlessly leaping between buildings, grappling up walls and pouncing on unsuspecting enemies
- Dying Light is set in a vast open world, delivering expansive and varied environments, a wide variety of enemy classes and a hopeless tale of survival where resources are scarce and the infected are not the only threat
- Get up-close using a variety of light and heavy weapons including knives, bats, axes, sledgehammers and more exotic weaponry or utilize guns and other firepower to take down enemies from a distance
- Why use a wrench when you can use a wrench wrapped in electrified barb wire Dying Light's sizeable crafting system enables players to create a slew of new, more potent weapons and equipment, as well as specialized ammunition
What to watch next
- Names and reveal details for the three unannounced Broken Mirror projects.
- Confirmation of the developers, release windows and platforms for Saw: Genesis and the other projects.
- More explanation of how Onyx: The Dark Grip uses Switch 2’s touchscreen in handheld play.
- Evidence that the label’s idea-first process can produce the surprising, distinctive horror successes Smektala described.
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