Recommended Free Tools
Dead by Daylight began with a question Behaviour Interactive kept returning to: what if the player got to be the horror villain? The answer emerged through experiments with asymmetrical horror and a deceptively simple game of hide-and-seek—one powerful Killer searching for a group of vulnerable Survivors. Behaviour’s accounts illuminate the creative premise and some technical choices, though they do not provide a complete chronology of the game’s development.
Why Behaviour wanted players to be the villain
In a 2017 retrospective for Xbox Wire, Mathieu Cote, then Game Director at Behaviour Digital, recalled that the studio repeatedly returned to “the idea of playing as the bad guy.” The team considered different kinds of horror threats, including a slasher and a haunting presence that could drive people insane. Cote said Behaviour made many prototypes, from board games to playable experiments.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
According to Cote, publishers at the time were skeptical about demand for horror games. Behaviour tried a humorous version of its idea, which became Naughty Bear, but the studio kept working on the horror concept because those experiments did not satisfy it. His account is a retrospective memory, not a complete production log. Cote’s Xbox Wire essay describes the creative thread that persisted across the experiments.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHow hide-and-seek revealed the hook
The premise sharpened into an unequal chase: one vulnerable character tries to escape an overwhelming pursuer. Cote described it as “a weak and vulnerable character running away from an unstoppable murder beast.” That phrase captures the intended power imbalance, not a neutral description of every match.
#1 Best Overall
- EXPAND YOUR GAMEPLAY – Take your Dead by Daylight board game further with 5 new Survivors and 5 terrifying Killers, each with unique abilities for fresh strategies and tension. Requires the base set to play.
- HORROR-THEMED STRATEGY – Escape or become the ultimate ghost killer game villain with new Perks and Powers that heighten suspense and excitement. Will you survive the night or fall to the darkness?
- DETAILED MINIATURES – Includes 10 hauntingly sculpted miniatures, bringing characters to life with eerie precision. A must-have for fans of horror board games, collectible art, and immersive tabletop play.
- MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY – Customize matches with new setup options, creating fresh scenarios for replayability. Whether you love betrayal, hidden movement, or outsmarting foes, this expansion enhances your Dead by Daylight experience.
- PERFECT FOR HORROR FANS – Great for teens, adults, and couples who love strategy, tabletop, or party games. A top pick for game nights, mystery lovers, and fans of monsters and survival horror.
One prototype turned the idea into hide-and-seek. Cote recalled that the team put a piece of cardboard in front of a monitor so two players could not see each other’s screen. The crude arrangement was unbalanced, but it helped reveal what made the concept compelling: one player could hunt while the other had to evade. The finished game developed that dynamic into a multiplayer structure built around one Killer pursuing four Survivors.
Why the team moved to Unreal Engine 4
In an October 2016 interview, Behaviour Technical Director Fadi Beyrouti and Creative Director Dave Richard said the studio had explored asymmetrical horror for a long time. Technology, risk, and other factors had made earlier versions impractical, so the idea was set aside and reshaped until Behaviour could pursue it with fewer compromises.
The first prototype used a different engine. The developers said Behaviour chose Unreal Engine 4 for its multiplayer and networking support, animation system, modifiable source code, and frequent updates. They also described a mixed workflow: Blueprint helped speed development, while C++ provided a controlled framework that Blueprint could extend. These are the developers’ stated reasons, rather than an independently documented production timeline. Read the Unreal Engine interview with Beyrouti and Richard.
Atmosphere had to work as part of the game
The developers also connected visual mood to playable choices. Because the game used procedurally generated environments, they said lighting could not simply be baked in or used as a visual shortcut. Vegetation and mist could help create horror atmosphere while also giving players cover or making it harder to read a space.
They described balancing the experience through rules, metrics, testing, and analytics, then adjusting as players discovered new tactics. That account explains the intended process, but it does not establish independent verification of the team’s testing methods or results.
Rank #2
- Play as 5 new resourceful Survivors with their own unique Perks!
- Play as 5 new Killers with horrifying Powers that defy logic to hunt your prey!
- Customize your experience with all-new Perks and set-up options!
- Bring the game to life with 10 hauntingly detailed miniature figurines!
What launch looked like in 2016
Dead by Daylight launched on PC through Steam on June 14, 2016. In a June 21 announcement, publishing partner Starbreeze AB reported that the game had sold more than 270,000 units in its first week and held the top position on Steam’s sales charts. Those are Starbreeze’s contemporaneous figures, not independently audited sales data. Starbreeze’s launch-week announcement also identifies Behaviour Digital as the development studio.
The launch was the first publishing partnership between Starbreeze and Behaviour Digital. Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint called the game spectator-friendly, while Behaviour Interactive CEO Rémi Racine said Starbreeze believed in the studio’s vision and provided creative freedom and support. Those comments offer context about the partnership from the companies involved; they are not independent assessments.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
How the game’s scale changed over time
In a June 2026 anniversary announcement, Behaviour Interactive said Dead by Daylight had reached more than 70 million players over ten years, including more than six million new players in 2025. The company also reported that revenue had increased by more than 50% over the prior twelve months. These are company-reported figures, and “players” is not the same measure as copies sold.
In the same announcement, Behaviour CEO Rémi Racine recalled an initial sales forecast of around 300,000 copies. He said 30 people launched the game in 2016 and that the project team had grown to nearly 500 by 2026. The forecast is a later recollection; it should not be treated as directly comparable to Starbreeze’s first-week unit report. The two releases use different measures and refer to different periods. Behaviour’s ten-year anniversary announcement provides the company’s account of the game’s later scale.
The idea carried beyond the video game
The Killer-versus-Survivors premise also became a tabletop adaptation, Dead by Daylight: The Board Game, published by Level 99 Games. Its product description presents a Killer facing two to four Survivors, with Survivors repairing generators while the Killer hunts them. The adaptation is a separate expression of the premise, not part of the original video game’s development. Level 99 Games’ product page describes its components and play.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
