Ex-Dying Light lead joins Bloober Team to find horror’s next big creator
Former Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektala joins Bloober’s Broken Mirror Games to find distinctive new horror projects.
Tymon Smektala, the former franchise director behind much of Dying Light’s growth, has joined Bloober Team as executive director of its Broken Mirror Games publishing division. In an interview with GamesRadar+, Smektala said he wants to find smaller horror projects with the kind of creative identity that could produce “the next Kojima”.
That is an ambitious way to describe a publishing brief, but the job itself is fairly clear. Broken Mirror Games is looking for external developers with strong ideas, then plans to help those teams scale with Bloober’s horror expertise. Smektala’s remit puts him close to the point where unusual concepts either find the support to become full games or disappear into the crowded middle of the industry.
Bloober Team describes Broken Mirror Games as a co-development label. Its official newsroom has already used the label for ONYX: The Dark Grip, an original dark adventure announced for Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. The game gives players two sides of one conflict: a human Vessel trying to survive and a mysterious God possessing him. 12
Why Smektala’s move matters
Smektala spent 13 years at Techland, including three years as the franchise director for Dying Light. That series became known for combining open-world survival horror with a day-and-night cycle that changes the danger around the player. His new position therefore brings both production experience and a clear understanding of how a horror idea can become a recognisable franchise.
GamesRadar+ reported that Smektala is interested in finding creators who can offer a fresh take on the genre rather than simply repeating familiar horror formulas. He pointed to recent horror successes including The Backrooms, Weapons and Obsession as examples of projects with a distinctive identity. 1
The comments also underline the difference between a publisher looking for safe imitations and one looking for a voice it can build around. Smektala said the goal is to find a smaller project with a strong vision, then give its developer access to Bloober’s experience and creative DNA. That does not guarantee a hit, but it gives the label a more interesting filter than “make another game like the last one”.
Broken Mirror’s growing slate
Broken Mirror Games is already attached to several upcoming horror projects, with ONYX: The Dark Grip the clearest public example. Bloober’s official announcement describes it as a handheld-first adventure built around the unusual idea of controlling both the Vessel and the God influencing him. It is due to launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. 2
That project is not evidence that every Broken Mirror signing will be experimental, but it does show the label’s preference for a strong central hook. The same approach could make Smektala’s search for new creators useful to horror fans: the best discoveries are often the games that can explain their appeal in one striking sentence before anyone has seen a full trailer.
For developers, the proposition is equally direct. Broken Mirror Games can offer publishing support, production knowledge and access to a team that has spent years making horror games. The challenge will be preserving the original team’s voice while a larger partner helps turn a promising concept into a finished release.
What happens next
Smektala’s appointment is not an announcement of a new Dying Light game, and his “next Kojima” comment is an expression of the sort of creator he hopes to find rather than a promise about a specific project. The immediate news is that Bloober has put a familiar horror-industry figure in charge of discovering and shaping more games for its publishing division.
The result will depend on what Broken Mirror signs next. If the label can pair unusual concepts with practical production help, it could become a useful home for smaller horror teams that need backing without losing their identity. If it simply chases the surface details of recent hits, the pitch will be much less exciting.
Our opinion
The smart part of Smektala’s brief is not the “next Kojima” line; it is the focus on finding a creator before the market has decided what their game should be. Horror is full of low-budget ideas that could become something special with the right support, but that support has to protect the strange, specific hook that made the project worth noticing in the first place.
Broken Mirror Games now has a chance to build a publishing label around that principle. ONYX: The Dark Grip is an encouraging first sign because its two-perspective premise is easy to understand and not just another haunted-house pitch. The real test will be whether Smektala’s next discoveries feel like their own games rather than carefully assembled answers to whatever horror is popular this month.