Dead by Daylight’s come a long way since its release eight years ago. What started as a little-known asymmetric horror game has skyrocketed into one of the most played games in the world. This is in no small part due to its ever-growing roster of iconic horror characters.Starting with theHalloweencollab that brought Michael Myersand Laurie Strode to the Fog in 2016, Behaviour has been establishing a who’s who of horror ever since. From Freddy to Chucky, to Albert Wesker and Pyramid Head, there are few horror Hall of Famers that don’t already have some representation in the game.
But therein lies an existential problem for the game: licensed killers have been an integral part of the game’s hype machine since the very beginning. Player counts always spike around the time of a collaboration chapter’s release. But unfortunately forDead by Daylightand Behaviour, those iconic properties are a limited resource that’s almost dried up. And the question remains what the game can do to sustain long-term DLC hype after the devs exhaust the last of horror’s heavy-hitters.
The Popular Killer Options Aren’t Quite Taken Yet
There’s no mistaking it:Dead by Daylighthas not gone through all the genre’s big names yet by any means. In terms of horror icons, the studio has yet to feature such titans as Pennywise, Predator, Robert Englund’s Freddy Kruger, and, of course, Jason Voorhees. These are thetypes of collabs thatDBDhas been relying onto generate hype for new content.
There are still more than enough licenses available for over two full years worth of content. And even after some of the larger names are in the game, horror is a genre full of cult classics with small, but dedicated fanbases. Maybe Behaviour throws in aSleepaway Campchapter or aGremlinsDLC here and there. Those smaller names will generate some type of attention, but probably not the massive player influx something likeFNAFwill be bringing toDead By Daylightnext summer.
FNAF is a Step in the Right Direction for More Mascot Horror
There are a few ways Behaviour can keep the train running on collabs once its main source of inspiration is dried up.And withDead by Daylight’s recentFNAFannouncement, it looks like the company is leaning toward it. Mascot horror is becoming a lot of younger fans' go-to sub-genre of horror, as evident in the monumental popularity of series likeFNAF, Poppy Playtime, Bendy and the Ink Machine,andHello Neighbor.
While horror fans in their 30s and 40s may not regard these series as highly as tent poles of the genre, they’re very much so for gamers in their teens and 20s, and Behaviour will be leaving money on the table ignoring the demand for these characters inDBD. And considering how each of these franchises, usually features more than just one antagonist, one collaboration could mean a steady supply of killers.
Behaviour Can Focus on More Timely Collabs With Current Releases
Another route Behaviour can take is to feature some contemporary horror films as they come out. For example, the devs couldcollaborate with Blumhouse to put out aM3GANchapterin conjunction with the upcoming sequel, or synchronize content focused on another big film release the studio has planned. New horror movies are being made all the time, and while obviously not all of them end up moving the needle in the way something likeSaworHellraiserdid, adding fresh, new characters to the game can be one way to keep the buzz going aroundDead By Daylight.
Even beyond that is the possibility to look beyond horror as a genre as a whole and expand into other sources of inspiration. It’s already started on thesurvivor side of things with Lara Croftand even real-life actor Nicolas Cage joining the ranks. It’s unclear if Behaviour would be willing to go into non-horror content for its killer characters, but if it does, characters like Darth Vader or Marvel’s Carnage would make for some intimidating and thematically appropriate killers.
