\u201cI\u2019m giddy,\u201d says Dave Richard,\u00a0DbD senior creative director, when asked about how his feelings during the anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cDave and I are very grateful,\u201d adds Mathieu C\u00f4t\u00e9, DbD game director and director of partnerships. \u201cWe try to remind each other how lucky we are to have been able to go on this crazy ride and still be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
This latest milestone is particularly notable for the pair because they\u2019ve been with DBD since the very beginning. Back then, only about 35 people worked on the game, but now, it\u2019s around 500. Like a lot of Canadian game success stories,\u00a0DbD\u00a0originated in no small part thanks to funding from the Canada Media Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n Behaviour Interactive were early innovators in Canada in audience engagement and live ops\u2014continuously updating features, characters, or mechanics based on player feedback, all while building a brand that helped their The rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n Humble beginnings<\/p>\n During a media presentation at Behaviour\u2019s Montreal headquarters, co-founder and CEO R\u00e9mi Racine reflected on just how much Dead by Daylight\u00a0has surpassed the team\u2019s wildest dreams. \u201cWe never expected it would be so big,\u201d he said, noting that initial sales forecasts were in the 300,000 range. \u201cWe never thought we\u2019d be here today. It was incredible. It changed the business. It changed Behaviour in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n When DbD\u00a0launched, Behaviour staffed around 350 employees and was mostly known for work-for-hire projects for companies like Disney (Kim Possible), Sega (Iron Man), and THQ (Scooby-Doo), alongside a handful of original titles that mostly received mixed reviews, like the third-person action shooter Wet and action-adventure game\u00a0Naughty Bear.\u00a0But with the success of\u00a0DBD, Behaviour now employs nearly 1,300 people across several studios, including one in Toronto<\/a> and at subsidiaries like Vancouver-based Red Hook<\/a> (Darkest Dungeon). It supports development on big titles like 2K\u2019s Civilization VII\u00a0and Xbox\u2019s upcoming Gears of War: E-Day<\/a> from fellow Canadian developer The Coalition. And it even helps publish<\/a> the likes of Supermassive\u2019s DbD spin-off The Casting of Frank Stone and WDR\u2019s horror parkour game Terrible Lizards.<\/p>\n R\u00e9mi Racine talks to media at Behaviour\u2019s Montreal office.<\/p>\n That measured trajectory is key, according to La Guilde du jeu vid\u00e9o du Qu\u00e9bec, the non-profit cooperative that represents the province\u2019s gaming sector.<\/p>\n \u201cBehaviour\u2019s longevity is rare in this industry, and at La Guilde, we think about it a lot because it speaks to something structural, not something that happened by pure luck. They built technical credibility through years of work-for-hire before making DbD. This gave them the financial runway and the production discipline to eventually take a risk on something original,\u201d says \u00c9milien Roscanu, La Guilde\u2019s principal director of communications and operations.<\/p>\n \u201c[Behaviour\u2019s] independence has been crucial. When you own your IP and you\u2019re not answering to a parent company with competing priorities, you can make long-term decisions, invest in community, greenlight a bold licensing strategy. That freedom is what allowed them to grow DBD into what it is today. It\u2019s a model we hope more Quebec studios can follow and one that La Guilde actively works to support.\u201d<\/p>\n It also helps that Behaviour has such a strong core concept for Dead by Daylight\u00a0that stands out even a decade later. While many of today\u2019s popular live service games are focused on variations of shooter combat, like Fortnite, Call of Duty and\u00a0Counter-Strike,\u00a0DbD focuses on a novel asymmetrical approach to survival horror. Instead of traditional squad-based matches, DbD challenges a team of four Survivors to work together to repair generators to escape, all while being hunted by a player-controlled Killer. That focus on vulnerability, strategy and teamwork provides a rich tension and palpable atmosphere, especially as many other horror games have leaned more towards action instead of scares over time<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the years, and especially early on, it was important for us to be an accessible horror. We wanted to have a level of violence, a level of gore, that is accessible, so that you have the thrill of the horror, but you\u2019re not necessarily disgusted, so that we can have as many people as possible interact with the game,\u201d says Richard.<\/p>\n He adds that in recent years, horror in general has been going through something of a \u201cGolden Age,\u201d<\/a> which has further encouraged Behaviour to explore different facets of the genre over time. \u201cIt\u2019s the variety \u2014 the fact that we can look at almost any subject with a lens of horror, find the horrific story that makes us scared, but also empathize with the characters, create all of these emotions and attachment to the universe building, and keep an evolution on that style through time to please our fans,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Dead by Daylight emphasizes horror and tension as you\u2019re chased by an unbeatable Killer. (Image credit: Behaviour Interactive)<\/p>\n It\u2019s that very focus on the fans that has proven so integral to DbD\u2018s longevity.<\/p>\n \u201cWith games as a service, the backbone is the community, and so I think that our values as a team are to be transparent, acknowledge our mistakes, talk with the community, get their feedback, and collaborate with them to create the universe they want to play in,\u201d says Richard. \u201cSo we started that very, very, very early. We knew it was going to be important to get these people on board as fast as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, one of the main highlights of the DbD 10th anniversary broadcast was a rare early look at distant content<\/a>, including a prototyped zombie mode and a swath of technical improvements to character models, animations and even weather effects. And over the past year, Behaviour has even been running the game\u2019s first-ever fan-driven event, The Grimoire<\/a>, which let the community vote to shape a new Killer and Survivor and concludes, as confirmed in the stream, in August. As Behaviour notes, it wants to have an open and transparent dialogue with fans, even, in some cases, when updates are over a year away.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lesson in humility early on \u2014 not that we needed it too much \u2014 about realizing that this is not \u2018our game\u2019 anymore. It\u2019s still us making it, but if the players want to take it in a certain direction, we need to listen,\u201d says C\u00f4t\u00e9. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re always right \u2014 they are not \u2014 but it\u2019s important to listen. \u2018Why is it that some people are screaming about something?\u2019 It might not be the thing, but it\u2019s a symptom of something, and we have to try to pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n To that point,\u00a0DbD actually garnered more of a mixed response<\/a> when it launched in 2016 due to technical issues, improper balancing and a lack of social features. But Behaviour stuck with it, soliciting feedback as it continued to polish and add to the game, and now, the reception is much more positive. And since then, Richard credits an ever-bigger and more versatile Behaviour team for being able to continue to listen to fans and stay relevant, even in recent years as so many more games, social media platforms and streaming services are competing for people\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have very talented people here that we didn\u2019t have very early on, so [we\u2019re] able to have a dedicated team to talk with our community and to bring out of the noise of 70 million people the pertinent information that the team needs, so that we can cater to these people,\u201d he says. \u201cHaving a dedicated team that is looking far forward in the future on what are the trends, what is coming, what is currently on TikTok, what will be on TikTok in a few weeks [helps us] foresee and adapt to it. And of course, [we have] the expertise of the team on learning what type of horror is going to be trendy or loved. All of these dedicated people are bringing a little something that will help us continue to be relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n The Museum of Horror Some of the many horror icons featured in Dead by Daylight. (Image credit: Behaviour Interactive)<\/p>\n A key part of\u00a0DbD\u2018s enduring popularity also stems from the fact that Behaviour has continued to dramatically expand the game through numerous exciting and well-fitting crossovers. Indeed, so many iconic characters from various kinds of horror media have been featured in the game, including Michael Myers (Halloween), the Xenomorph (Alien), Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street),\u00a0Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead) and Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil). Occasionally, Behaviour has even had some fun with more unorthodox guests, like The Witcher\u2018s Geralt,\u00a0Tomb Raider\u2018s Lara Croft and, even, Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had some very important collaborations, and that was kind of a stamp of approval from different industries,\u201d says Richard. \u201cThe very first licence we got \u2014 Michael Myers, of all people!\u201d adds C\u00f4t\u00e9.<\/p>\n For Richard, one of his fondest memories of working on\u00a0DbD actually exemplifies how much the game has grown to stand alongside these licensed horror properties for many fans.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this woman that comes in and sees us [at a PAX event], and she\u2019s a fan of the game. She\u2019s happy to be there, and she\u2019s like, \u2018Look!\u2019 And she shows her arm has a full sleeve tattoo of all the famous horror characters, like Myers, Jason [Voorhees], Freddy [Krueger], Leatherface\u2026 They\u2019re all there [on this] beautiful tattoo, and straight in the middle she added the DbD logo,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd she was super proud to show it. I\u2019m like, \u2018Whoa!\u2019 That was a realization for me that the universe was getting complete, and in the minds of fans, when they think horror, they think Dead by Daylight. That was pretty grand.\u201d<\/p>\n But of course, it\u2019s easy to see how too much of a good thing could be a problem. With so many beloved characters already in DbD and fan-favourites like Friday the 13th\u2018s Jason Voorhees and Terrifier\u2018s Art the Clown still regularly being added, how do you ensure they each get the level of care and balancing expected from both fans and their respective IP holders?<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever chapter we\u2019re working on is the most important chapter we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d says C\u00f4t\u00e9 of Behaviour\u2019s approach to constantly adding fan-favourite characters. \u201cWhatever we\u2019re working on right now is our favourite one, and it has to be. And it sort of educates the choices that we make with what collaborations we do, because if we\u2019re not inspired, it\u2019s not gonna work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe put ourselves in the shoes of the fan of these franchises, or the type of horror and the type of fantasy we\u2019re building. So as the team is building that content, it\u2019s the best content,\u201d adds Richard.<\/p>\n Jason Voorhees terrorizes Dave Richard and Mathieu C\u00f4t\u00e9 at the DBD anniversary panel.<\/p>\n Clearly, that effort is paying off, with 2025, in particular, being\u00a0DbD\u2018s biggest year to date<\/a> and overall game revenue increasing by 50 per cent over the past 12 months. In a time when so many live services don\u2019t last this long, this kind of growth is truly remarkable, and La Guilde says other studios should take note.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Dead by Daylight story is one of the clearest examples of what happens when a studio commits to their vision and then builds a strong relationship with its community. Behaviour didn\u2019t just ship a successful horror game, they built a living and breathing ecosystem,\u201d says Roscanu. \u201cOne thing Behaviour understood very early is that Dead by Daylight didn\u2019t need to be the biggest game in the world. It needed to become the home for horror fans. Once they earned that position, every new chapter reinforced the value of the platform. The collaborations with external IPs, from Michael Myers to Stranger Things, also show something important: when your world is compelling enough, others want to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Canadian values \u2014 for everyone<\/p>\n Clearly, by any metric, DbD\u2018s success would be noteworthy, but it\u2019s even more impressive when you consider that it\u2019s a wholly Canadian success story. While so many games are made in Canada<\/a>, the big ones are typically owned by foreign entities, whether it\u2019s Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/a> (France\u2019s Ubisoft),\u00a0Mass Effect\u00a0<\/a>(the U.S.\u2019 EA) or Warframe <\/a>(China\u2019s Tencent). But even after 30-plus years, Behaviour has remained Canada\u2019s largest independent game maker.<\/p>\n \u201cBehaviour is one of the rare ones that says, \u2018Yeah, no, we\u2019re from here.\u2019 Essentially, all the others are American or their headquarters are elsewhere, but not us,\u201d says C\u00f4t\u00e9. \u201cIt\u2019s just so great to be able to stand side by side with these giants out there, and go, \u2018Yeah, we deserve to be standing next to you right now.\u2019 It\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven locally, we have friends from other studios that this week started to send us photos because we\u2019re everywhere this summer \u2014 billboards, murals \u2014 and it\u2019s so cool to see. They feel proud,\u201d says Richard.<\/p>\n \u201cThe success of Behaviour demonstrates that Quebec is no longer simply a place where international companies build games. It\u2019s also a place where original franchises can be created, owned and exported to the world,\u201d says Roscanu. \u201cWhat makes Quebec particularly strong is that every stage of the value chain exists here. A game can be imagined, financed, developed, marketed and scaled globally without leaving the province. Behaviour is one of the most visible examples of that model, but it\u2019s increasingly reflected across the industry as more Quebec studios build and grow their own IP.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLarge multinational studios operating in Canada are vital to the industry, but it can also mean that decisions affecting our Canadian talent are made outside of our ecosystem. We unfortunately see the consequences of that in recent But it\u2019s not just getting to recently showcase Montreal that\u2019s been special for Behaviour; Richard and C\u00f4t\u00e9 say it\u2019s also long been important to be able to have their Canadian identity reflected in the game itself. \u201cIt\u2019s one of our core pillars for the project, for the brand, to be able to unapologetically put our values, our Canadian values, Quebecois values, what we think is important: representation and inclusivity,\u201d says Richard.<\/p>\n A perfect example of that came during the 10th anniversary broadcast when Behaviour unveiled DbD\u2018s first-ever Indigenous character: Shane Wiigwaas. Played by\u00a0Reservation Dogs\u2018 Dallas Goldtooth, Shane is an Anishinaabe lawyer who travels across the country on a bike to help out other First Nations communities. He arrives in DbD on June 25.<\/p>\n \u201cAs our fanbase has seen, it\u2019s important for us that every time we go into a culture that we don\u2019t fully grasp, we ask for help. We have community consultants who come in and help us make it right, and in this case, it\u2019s an interesting story where we knew we were going to do our first First Nations character, and we wanted him to be from Canadian community, and we found a consultant that helped us, from only that basic understanding of who the character is, to build the whole character and really be true to that specific community.\u201d<\/p>\n Shane Wiigwaas. (Image credit: Behaviour Interactive)<\/p>\n All in all,\u00a0DbD\u2018s character roster is commendably diverse<\/a>, and Behaviour says it was important to achieve that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve learned \u2014 at least I learned quite a lot \u2014 [about] opening my mind to how people perceive themselves and how they see themselves represented. And we\u2019ve been doing that [\u2026] because it\u2019s so important,\u201d C\u00f4t\u00e9 says. \u201cWe\u2019ve screwed up a couple times along the way, which is inevitable if you\u2019re going to try things, but we listen, and then we own up [to it].\u201d<\/p>\n
studio stand out,\u201d says Janine Steele, CMF director of Interactive, Digital and Emerging Media. \u201cIn today\u2019s crowded global marketplace, Behaviour\u2019s direct relationship to a deeply connected fanbase has allowed the studio to transpose success in one game to success in others. It\u2019s not just about building a great game, but also consider the other aspects of building a business for the long haul, such as marketing, audience relations, and business development.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"R\u00e9mi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/remi-racine-bhvr-scaled.jpg\")
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downturns of job opportunities across the industry at a global scale,\u201d says Steele. (Editor\u2019s note: Behaviour itself recently laid off an undisclosed number of employees<\/a>, among tens of thousands of other industry job cuts over the past few years<\/a>.) \u201cBehaviour demonstrates that when you choose to maintain ownership and control of your own intellectual property, strength and stability can follow, and Canadian stories will compete globally. Supporting that opportunity is critical to the Canada Media Fund\u2019s mission and mandate.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Shane](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/dbd-shane.jpg\")
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