Dead by Daylight is officially ten years old; that's an entire decade of dedicated players taking on the role of killer or survivor in high-octane matches that are nothing short of a thrill ride for horror fans. During that time, not only has Behavior Interactive introduced many original characters, but it's also played host to some fantastic collaborations, including with two of the biggest horror videogame franchises out there: Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
Of course, those partnerships transcend games, bringing you some of the most iconic characters in horror, such as Ghostface, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and, later this year, the villain I've long been waiting to team with The Entity, Art the Clown. I couldn't let such a huge anniversary pass me by without picking the brain of Dead by Daylight's senior creative director, Dave Richard.
Not only did I ask him about those aforementioned collaborations, including his personal favorite, but we also dove into how important the community is, the impact streamers continue to have, and why Dead by Daylight continues to remain a strong entry in the genre, while other games, such as The Evil Dead, have both risen and fallen over the last ten years.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop fixing generators, walk away from the hooks, and pull up a chair.
Pocket Tactics: Congratulations on hitting DbD's 10th anniversary. A decade is a long time; how has the game changed over the years?
Dave Richard: A decade is a long time, and the game has changed SO MUCH! We started DbD with no real expectations of launching a live service game. In truth, we didn't have any grand ambitions; minimally, we wanted to create a game that people would love to play, and we wanted to break even. After all, we were told that we would only sell 300k copies lifetime - and we reached that goal within the first week. Today, DbD is the highest-selling horror PRODUCT of all time. Evidently, in scope, in the quality of our game, in the number of employees working on it - so, so much has changed.
Has the player response and community been everything you expected it to be back in 2016?
It's been more than we could ever wish or hope for. We are so grateful to our community, for old and new players alike, who share their passion every day for our game.
On the back of that, DbD is incredibly popular among streamers, having an enduring presence in popular culture that many devs dream of seeing for their games. What does this success mean to you?
It means everything. Simply put, without these streamers who have been playing DbD since day one, we would not be where we are today. DbD is an infinite generator of chaotic moments, and it has fantastic watchability. But of course, all of this would mean nothing if streamers had not been the conductors of this movement.
How has the community influenced the game? Does player feedback have a knock-on effect for collaborations and content?
Our community is at the heart of everything we do. We take their feedback very seriously and regularly run surveys to see what they want to see in the game. An example of this is our soon-to-be Map Mall that we announced during the 10th-anniversary stream. This Map came to be because a Mall setting was the most requested environment by our community. The second was liminal spaces, which is why we've also incorporated this aspect into this upcoming Map.
Over the years, there have been many collaborations in DbD, the most recent of which finally brought the infamous Jason Vorhees to the game, and I'm thrilled to see a Terrifier collab is in the works - I'm a huge Art fan. Are there any other horror icons that you'd like to see in-game? Keeping with clowns, Pennywise would be an interesting one.
We've been very vocal about this - of course, Pennywise has a standing invitation to join our game. For me personally, I would love to see Cujo or Christine join us.
Following on from that last question, what's your favorite collaboration been so far?
This is extremely tough - it's like asking who's your favorite child. I would have to say Silent Hill because it was our first videogame collaboration, and I am the biggest Silent Hill fan, so it was exponentially exciting for me.
Not only do you have the main game, but there are spin-off titles and a movie on the way. Did you foresee it expanding into a full-blown franchise in 2016?
We did not. Again, this has been such a crazy ride - we couldn't have foreseen the success we've been fortunate enough to experience.
It's fair to say that Dead by Daylight is a bit of a pioneer in the asymmetric multiplayer horror genre, with numerous games both rising and falling in the last ten years that follow a similar formula. The Evil Dead Game, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw, etc., what keeps Dead by Daylight going strong despite the competition?
I think we've been extremely lucky, and it's important to recognize this too. I think our success and longevity have been the byproducts of many things; the fact that not one DbD game is like the other, the fact that it creates infinite chaotic moments, its streamability, the fact that we've created a really rich world - a House of Horror - where all horror is welcome, the fact that we are constantly introducing new things (such as new game modes to keep the game feeling fresh). So, there are definitely many factors, but there's no formula for this. What I can tell you is that we don't take it for granted.
Are there any characters you think deserve their own story, be it in a game, comic, or TV show?
I think all our original characters are so interesting and complex. Be it Killer or Survivor, these are flawed people, and they all deserve their own stories.
What do the next ten years look like for Dead by Daylight?
Lots of growth. New challenges. More fun ways to discover the DbD Universe. More medium to tell our stories. Because we have many stories left to tell.
Have there been discussions to move on from DbD to create a sequel? Or does that pose problems for the game's long-running fanbase?
We've mentioned it during our livestream, but there will be no DbD 2. For us, it would mean leaving too much behind - asking our players to leave thousands of hours, money, emotional investment - and we simply don't want that. So, we will keep improving the DbD you know and love and grow from there.
Can we get a DbD Nintendo Switch 2 port with visual enhancements and overall quality-of-life upgrades?
We're noting your request. But it's not in our immediate plans.
Do you have any advice for new players? Starting a multiplayer game with a ten-year history may be intimidating for some.
Of course, it can absolutely be intimidating, and that's why we have plans to work on ways for DbD to be more accessible to new players. I think my advice would be for new players to just dive in. Have fun. At its core, DbD is about the chase and the thrill of the chase. Watch your favorite streamers. Read about the DbD universe. And don't overthink it.
I can't thank Dave enough for his time, and I have to agree, seeing Christine or Cujo arrive in Dead by Daylight would be a lot of fun.