Why Isn't Dead By Daylight Dead Yet?

Many horror games have trouble staying afloat, but why isn't Dead by Daylight one of them?

Seven years after its release on PC in 2016, Dead by Daylight stands steady among the most favored horror games. It has since expanded to most gaming platforms and appeases gamers seeking a casual or competitive experience. Developed and published by Behaviour Interactive, this multiplayer indie game achieved over 50 million players across all its platforms in 2022.

The gaming industry is a hub of constant innovation and game releases. Across many titles, once seasoned players invest a considerable amount of hours, the game has nothing else to offer. Typically, this would be especially true for a game of cat and mouse at its core. Knowing this, creators and developers not only focused on creating a successful game but something that stands the test of time. Between incorporating famous names from horror franchises to its frequent rework, players remain hooked. It consistently evolves to reach a larger audience, like introducing crossplay in 2020. Enabling crossplay promotes casual play with friends and gives access to almost all players. Dead by Daylight continues to excel because of the team's dedication to maintaining the game and the loyalty among its players.

What Is Dead by Daylight?

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical survival horror game where four players face off against one player as the killer. At the start of each game, survivors spawn on a random map that serves as the killer's playground. Scattered around the map, survivors must locate and repair five of the seven generators to power the exit gates. Meanwhile, the killer stalks and slings the survivors on deadly hooks to prevent an escape. The game ends if the killer successfully hunts down all the survivors or at least one survivor escapes through the exit doors or hatch.

Dead by Daylight isn't a simple game of a murderous hunter and its prey. Although depicted with a straightforward objective, the game can be anything but. While games intended for a quick thrill initially have a strong allure, they tend to lose a player's fascination quickly. Unlike many games, its appeal expands across casual and experienced players. Dead by Daylight satisfies those who prefer a frightful night with friends and those who seek a horror game with a competitive component. To get the most out of the game, survivors and killers should become familiar with the maps and master in-game skills to outsmart their opponents. Grasping a deep understanding of the game's mechanics and learning to manipulate its features encourages players to keep playing and perfect their techniques. Dead by Daylight is a one-of-a-kind horror game where refinement of in-game skills rewards players with a climbing sense of achievement.

Stick to the Basics or Capitalize on It

Dead by Daylight's playstyle varies dramatically depending on whether a player chooses to be a survivor or killer. Regarding pure strength, survivors are much weaker than killers and have no means to fight back and prevail. In plain terms, survivors must avoid capture. Stealth is critical for a survivor's advantage, and learning the sound and visual cues that alert the killer is near. A glowing red light accompanies the front of the killer, revealing the direction they are facing. As a killer closes in, the survivor will hear an intense heartbeat grow louder. While features like these are the fundamentals, experienced players can discern just how far the killer is by the heartbeat's intensity. Exploiting an element such as this can pave opportunity for a player to implement skills such as looping.

Looping is a strategy that survivors use when they are getting chased by the killer. It's a process in which the survivor can entice the killer to continue chasing them as long as they can to buy the survivors more time. Using in-game elements, such as vaulting windows and dropping wooden pallets, survivors can optimize their looping strategy to taunt the killer. While killers are limited to a first-person point of view, survivors should utilize their third-person vantage point of view. In the third person, survivors can better assess threatening situations. Successful looping involves proficient situational awareness and quick thinking. If practiced to perfection, looping is a calculated tactic that can send the killer into spirals of frustration. Looping scratches the surface of the trove of techniques for survivors popularized within the Dead by Daylight community, and that doesn't even address strategies for the killers.

Character Lore Reinforces In-Game Strengths

players to enhance their gaming experience. Similar to killers, survivors can choose from a pool of characters. Apart from cosmetic differences, survivors have their own backstories and unique set of abilities called perks. One of the original survivors, Meg Thomas, was a rebellious girl abandoned by her father as a baby but raised by her single mother. Through guidance from an athletics coach, Meg channeled her unruliness into running. However, Meg cast aside her college aspirations and scholarship to bear caretaking responsibilities when her mother fell ill. It was summer when Meg vanished during a run in the forest, never to be found.

In Dead by Daylight, Meg is known for her intense stamina with perks to reflect it. Sprint burst is one of her three perks. While playing as Meg, when a player begins to run, Sprint Burst gives a 150% speed increase for the first three seconds. Players adept at looping might prefer to play as Meg, a survivor notorious for her swiftness and stealth. Determining which survivor can strengthen a player's skillset the most will be the most beneficial weapon against the killer. With over 200 perks to equip, perks exclusive to its original character can eventually be unlocked and used among all survivors. In competitive gaming, proficient players fit strategies into every component available, and Dead by Daylight is no exception.

Gear Up for Your Forte

In addition to choosing the right survivor, players have access to certain items that can aid in their survival strategies. Items are acquired through looting chests or progression with a character's Bloodweb. Bloodweb is the system in which players can purchase unlockable items with Bloodpoints, a currency earned through playing. Survivors can utilize items that best complement their play style. Tailored items can be a game-changer for a survivor and even better when coordinated with the team. An organized team can outplay a killer and strategize an escape easier than a team focused on their individual successes. A player efficient with looping can focus on perks and items that will aid in that strategy.

Flashlights are handy items for survivors planning to distract the killer. Flashlights can temporarily blind the killer and force them to drop a survivor if carrying one. A flashlight can be a means of teammate recovery and buying one's team time. While one survivor can dedicate themselves to distracting the killer, another teammate can prioritize repairing generators. With this responsibility, players might choose the survivor Feng Min, an avid gamer. One of her perks, Technician, aids survivors with mending generators, specifically with noise and progress. As for items, players can choose a toolbox to facilitate generator repairs. Survivors have the opportunity to methodically increase their chances of winning. In comparison, killers have just as many adaptable playstyles and build-outs available. Dead by Daylight's competitive scene has abundant avenues that players can take to the next level.

Regular Recruitment of Dominating Names in the World of Horror

Introducing new characters can and has changed how the community plays — in other words, a new meta. Along with its strong foundation as a horror game, the meta shifts regularly to preserve Dead by Daylight's relevance and engagement. By adding new features, survivors, and killers, loyal fans don't experience a stalemate. While new characters give the community more exciting content, Dead by Daylight excels in enlisting thrilling characters from famous horror franchises. Dead by Daylight has featured notorious killers like Michael Myers, Ghost Face, and The Nightmare. Exclusive licensing can also involve new maps, survivors, and killers, as seen in the game's Chapter 13: Stranger Things.

Acquiring licensing for prominent characters sparks discussion in and outside of the community. Fans who would've otherwise known or played Dead by Daylight might consider it solely because of their appreciation for these characters. Chapter 13 debuted a killer Demogorgon, survivor characters Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington, and a map called The Underground Complex. Licensed content falls under contracts that all differ from one another. When a contract ends, players lose the ability to purchase characters. With all licensing not being guaranteed to stay, players anticipate change nonetheless. By incorporating renowned characters into its games, Dead by Daylight thrives by merging multiple communities.

While every game genre has its share of abandoned games, many horror games get left for dead. Coming across a horror game that emphasizes strategy and a wide range of skills that draw competitive appeal is scarce. This limitation grants Dead by Daylight the prominence it has among other games in its category. The game can be as simple or complex as a player wants. These factors, paired with passionate developers, create a game with a long-term commitment to evolve for its community. Delivering additional content and shifting metas keeps players engrossed, making the release date irrelevant. Dead by Daylight fills the gap for a versatile horror game that refuses to stop developing and survive the trial of time.