Dead by Daylight is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Launched in June 2016, this asymmetric horror game has enjoyed an incredible, though not nightmarish, decade. Starting with a somewhat rough experience at release, the dedication of millions of players over the years has enabled Behaviour Interactive to refine DBD into a smoothly running machine. The game has featured numerous crossovers, introducing Killers, Survivors, and cosmetics from beloved franchises like The Last of Us, Stranger Things, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Hellraiser, Alien, Chucky, Tomb Raider, Castlevania, Five Nights at Freddy's, and The Walking Dead—the list goes on. It has also spawned various spin-offs, such as a dating simulator, an interactive narrative game, a board game, a comic series, and an upcoming film adaptation. Truly, it's both surviving and thriving.
Last month at the Game Developers Conference, I had the opportunity to chat with Behaviour's head of partnerships, Mathieu Cote, and creative director, Dave Richard, about this milestone. We discussed upcoming changes to matchmaking, the secrets behind a successful live service game, the reasons there won't be a sequel, and which spin-off they're still eager to create but haven't yet. For quick summaries of these interview highlights, you can follow the links above. Alternatively, the full conversation is provided here, slightly edited for length and clarity.
Happy 10th birthday, Dead by Daylight!
