Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight defied early expectations of 300,000 lifetime sales by hitting that number in three days and eventually reaching 60 million copies sold. Senior creative director Dave Richard and head of partnerships Mathieu Cote discuss how the asymmetric horror multiplayer game evolved from a simple 'fire-and-forget' title into a live-service success, learning GaaS mechanics along the way including a battle pass introduced in year four. The studio's philosophy centers on low barriers to entry, free maps, and avoiding aggressive monetization. Dead by Daylight now funds Behaviour's growth to 1,300 employees across five studios while still allowing the company to maintain its work-for-hire business. Looking ahead, Behaviour is expanding the franchise into transmedia (film, comics, spin-off games) and focusing on accessibility improvements to attract new players, with ambitions to support the game for at least another decade.
