Dead by Daylight fans are uninstalling after Behaviour Interactive layoffs
It seems that making money just isn't enough to sustain a developer these days, and in a year that has decimated the industry, Behaviour Interactive is the latest big name to cull its workforce. The studio behind the acclaimed Dead by Daylight is shedding its skin...and not in a good way.
After already laying off 3% of its Montreal branch earlier this year, Behaviour Interactive has announced another wave of redundancies. As well as DbD, Behaviour Interactive has developed the likes of Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, Deathgarden, and Meet Your Maker.
Behaviour Interactive hit by layoffs
A Behaviour Interactive press release has announced "structural changes," leading to 95 layoffs. 70 of these are once again from the company's Montreal office. Although Behaviour Interactive has grown from 575 to 1,300 employees over the past five years, this is being curtailed.
The statement says that it enjoyed massive growth alongside the rest of the gaming scene, "However, the industry’s unprecedented popularity has also led to unprecedented competition." There will be a new strategy to focus on "historical strengths" like horror.
With Dead by Daylight being Behaviour Interactive's bread and butter, this makes sense to us. Sharing his condolences, Co-Founder and CEO Rémi Racine said, "I would like to express my deep personal appreciation for any employee affected by today’s changes.
"While changes to our structure and strategic vision have led to challenging decisions, we are confident that these decisions will position us for continued success. As we begin the next phase of Behaviour's growth, our commitment to excellence in our products and workplace culture remains steadfast."
Dead by Daylight fans are uninstalling the game
Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts in solidarity with Behaviour Interactive staff. A growing number of players are boycotting Dead by Daylight, with some even uninstalling the game. Unfortunately, this likely won't help those affected by the layoffs.
One vocal critic wrote, "BHVR is soo f*****g dumb and sh*t like cutting devs from your only successful IP is stupid and such a large volume of them being let go with no apparent notice is callous f**k you @DeadbyDaylight @Behaviour I'm soo happy I didn't buy any of the new cosmetics/chapter cause I ain't."
Another added, "We should all band together and boycott dead by daylight to stick it to them for firing those innocent employees!!! But I sure hope nothing bad happens to those remaining employees…😥."
As one critic pointed out, "Genuinely what do we do with Dead by Daylight, if we boycott and all delete the game BHVR will fire even more people and make it worse. But if we do nothing BHVR won't care so like…" Someone else concluded, "Yeah, but u have to consider that the first people who suffer from a boycott are the employees. The higher ups are not gonna care as long as they get enough."
It seems like business as usual in Dead by Daylight for now, as the Dungeons & Dragons-themed chapter has just brought Venca to the game. While this should be a time for celebration, there's an even darker cloud than usual hanging over DbD.
