‘Dead By Daylight’ Studio Behaviour Interactive Cuts 95 Employees Citing Rise In “Unprecedented Competition” Across Video Game Industry
In proving true the old H.P. Lovecraft adage “with strange aeons even death may die”, Dead By Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has announced that they will be cutting a total of roughly 95 employees from their company workforce due to what they claim is a recent rise in “unprecedented competition”
Revealing the news in a press release publicly released to (and since removed from) their official company website on June 4th, the developer – whose only other title of recent note is the ‘live experience’ disaster known as Silent Hill: Ascension – announced that they would be undertaking “several strategic structural changes” with the aim of “draw[ing] upon the Company’s historical strengths to craft an ambitious vision for its future success.”
As to why they were undertaking these cuts, Behaviour Interactive explained that while they have been able to grow their workforce “from 575 employees to 1,300 employees over the past five years,” during that same time “the greater gaming industry has also witnessed remarkable growth,” thus leading the studio to face “unprecedented competition.”
“Within this challenging context, Behaviour has renewed its focus on its historical strengths,” the press release detailed. “These include the Company’s leading position in horror gaming, its production expertise, and its thirty-year history of providing exceptional service to its development partners. These strengths have inspired clear ambitions for the Company’s future – lead in horror, lead in service, and explore the possibilities of location-based entertainment.”
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Finally offering non-corporate-spun details regarding the exact measures they would take in pursuit of their ‘renewed focus’, the studio asserted, “To pursue this clarified vision, Behaviour will implement multiple strategic changes to its corporate structure, improving the distinction between its product, production, business development, and marketing resources. As a result of these changes, the Company will reduce its team by up to 95 employees, 70 of whom are based in Montreal.”
“Each of these individuals offered valuable contributions to Behaviour,” they added, “and will be fully supported by the organization in pursuing the next step in their careers.”
Offering a statement on the cutbacks, studio Co-Founder and CEO Rémi Racine declared, “I would like to express my 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.”
As for the company’s most popular title, Behaviour Interactive promises players that “neither Behaviour’s service business nor the development of Dead by Daylight will be affected by these changes.”
Notably, in proving that the Western video game industry is truly teetering on the edge of full-blown instability, this round of lay offs is but the second Behaviour Interactive has undertaken since the start of 2024.
In January, the studio cut roughly 45 employees of its Montreal team – roughly 3% of the office’s total workforce – due to “changing market conditions”.
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