Former Dying Light franchise lead joins Bloober Team horror imprint Broken

Nicole Carpenter,Contributor,Game Developer

September 29, 2026

schedule2 Min ReadImage via Broken Mirror Games

Tymon Smektala, previously Techland's franchise director, is joining Polish studio Bloober Team as its executive director for horror imprint Broken Mirror Games.

"After more than 13 years at Techland, I’m taking on a new challenge: leading the imprint, shaping its creative direction and portfolio, and working with talented external studios to bring new perspectives on horror in gaming," Smektala wrote on LinkedIn. "For starters I’m joining the teams behind the already in-production Saw: Genesis and Onyx: The Dark Grip to help bring these games to players, while also looking for new projects and creative partnerships that explore the many faces of fear.

Broken Mirror is a 'co-development label' under Bloober Team. Since the subsidiary was announced in 2024, it has released Star Trek: Infection and I Hate This Place. Bloober Team itself is known for Blair Witch, Layers of Fear, and its Silent Hill 2 remake, among games. Bloober Team was founded in 2008. While the studio is best known for its horror games, Bloober, one of its first games, was an ode to composer Frédéric Chopin.

Smektala has worked for Dying Light studio Techland for the past 13 years, most recently as the franchise director overseeing the studio's slate of franchises. He was in that position for nearly four years before moving to Bloober Team and Broken Mirror Games. Techland created survival horror game Dead Island in 2011 and the Dying Light series, which started in 2015 with Dying Light. Its latest game, survival horror game Dying Light: The Beast, was released in 2025.

The Techland veteran is also looking to hear from developers hoping to make terrifying horror games. "If you’re a developer, studio, or creator working on something interesting in horror, give me a shout!" he concluded. "I’d love to hear what you’re cooking up."

Top StoriesStudio Management & Team Leadership

About the Author

Nicole Carpenter

Contributor, Game Developer

Nicole Carpenter is a veteran reporter who has been covering the video game industry for over a decade.

See more from Nicole Carpenterchevron_right