The upcoming zombie open-world gameDying Light: The Beastwill mark the return of Kyle Crane, the long-missing protagonist from the original game that released in 2015. A fan favorite, Crane’s return is welcome news for fans of the franchise, andDying Light: The Beastwill explore the physical and mental changes he has undergone while spending years in captivity. His captor, Marius Fischer, is known as The Baron and is a man shrouded in mystery, making him an intriguing Yin to Crane’s Yang.
Game Rant recently caught up withDying Light’s franchise director Tymon Smektala to learn what makes The Baron tick. He discussed some of the inspiration behind the character and gave clues as to his motivations and thought process. It seems Crane will have a huge fight on his handswhenDying Light: The Beastreleases in summer 2025.
Dying Light: The Beast Pits Kyle Crane Against The Baron
The Baron is a James Bond Villain
Whatever the entertainment medium, a good protagonist is only as good as their respective antagonist. Over the years, heroes likeFinal Fantasy 7’s Cloud Strife have faced off with intelligent, complex villains like Sephiroth. Smektala explained that Techland took inspiration from a wide range of video game villains for The Baron, yet his primary source of inspiration was theJames Bond movie series, a franchise known for creating memorable villains. He explained,
'' We were looking at the James Bond movie series. Usually, they have a central antagonist who is just as important as 007 himself, so we got inspired by that. We tried to create the same vibe of someone who’s definitely bad, definitely a negative character, an antagonist, but also someone who has something interesting, something really peculiar about him, that makes you actually care about the character. It’s hard to say that Bond villains are “likable,” but they are definitely charismatic. Usually, they have something special about them: the way they look, the way they talk, the way they think. We wanted to find something like that.''
The Baron’s Decisions Are Grounded in Logic
Dying Light: The Beastsees Kyle Crane escaping from captivity, setting him on a collision course with The Baron while he also attempts to aid the people of Castor Woods. Smektala explains how the rich, powerful Baron is a calculating individual who removes emotion from his decision-making entirely. He said,
‘‘He’s definitely very brilliant, a great mind, someone that you would like to invite over for dinner. But at the same time, he has an element to him that is quite emotionless. He thinks, but he doesn’t really feel. He considers everything based on reasoning, on logic, and facts, and he basically removes the human factor altogether. I think that’s what makes him interesting and surprising for players, because when we look at other human beings, we expect them to factor emotions into their thinking. The Baron doesn’t really have that. Everything is pure logic. Everything is calculated.’’
Techland has gone all out to create a memorable villain in The Baron, and Smektala was keen to emphasize there is plenty more about the character that has not yet been revealed.2025 will be the 10th anniversary of theDying Lightfranchise, so fans should expect more info around January 26. Perhaps fans will learn more about The Baron, but whatever comes out over the next few months, fans can expect a zombie-filled summer nonetheless.
