Dead By Daylight Removes 'Racist' Cosmetic Due To Harassment
There are plenty of slaughter and scares in Dead by Daylight, but now, Behaviour Interactive's asymmetrical horror is being caught up in a real-life horror. The developer has confirmed that one of its cosmetics is being removed due to racist harassment.
Although Dead by Daylight gives its killers imaginative names like The Shape, The Cannibal, and The Nightmare, it's clear they're based on IPs including Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Now though, a certain boogeyman has taken a sinister turn.
Why Is Dead By Daylight Removing A 'Racist' Skin?
For anyone who has watched one of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and tried to keep track of its convoluted timeline of reboots and remakes, you'll know Leatherface has worn many different faces over the years.
Much like Jason Voorhees has had plenty of masks, Leatherface's appearance has changed with each movie. Famously though, he sometimes wears the faces of his victims. It's much the same in DbD, however, there were a growing number of reports that some were using the face of black survivor Claudette Morel to racially abuse others.
In a developer update, Behaviour confirmed the cosmetic ability will be removed. "Members of the community have shared their experiences with people targeting and harassing them while using some of these masks," said the team.
"These reports were disheartening to hear, and we absolutely condemn this behaviour. "We are not comfortable having these masks in the game when they are used as a tool to spread hate. To that end, we will be removing The Cannibal's unlockable faces in this upcoming Mid-Chapter."
What If You Have Paid For The Dead By Daylight Skin?
Click to enlargeThose who've played as The Cannibal before the Mid-Chapter refresh will be gifted 6000 Iridescent Shards as an apology for the removal of Leatherface's mask ability. Still, the developer is standing by the fact that even in a community full of maniacs and demons, inclusivity should be at the forefront.
Some have denied the skin was being used for racial harassment, with one critic writing, "So @DeadByBHVR has decided to remove Bubba Sawyer #LEATHERFACE original survivor masks because people think the Claudette version is racist/black-face...By that logic I guess everyone who plays Freddy Krueger are P*dophiles?" Whether the intention was there or not, you'll have to make peace with the developer's decision.
Behaviour concluded, "We will not tolerate hateful activity and will continue to take every step necessary to protect the community." On a lighter note, 2022 is kicking things off in sinister style, with the Mid-Chapter bringing the much-hyped crossover with Ringu. Let the blood (and love) flow.
