Behaviour Interactive, the developer for the horror game Dead by Daylight, announced it will lay off up to 95 employees across its various studios with a significant portion coming from its Montreal studio.
Key art for Dead by Daylight: Alien (2016), Behaviour Interactive
In a press release the company outlined it was facing “unprecedented competition” due to the popularity of video games and that it was planning to renew “its focus on its historical strengths” such as horror gaming, production expertise and exceptional service to development partners.
On top of renewing its focus on historical strengths, the company outlined it has clear ambitions that include “lead in horror, lead in service, and explore the possibilities of location-based entertainment.”
Dead by Daylight key art
In order to do this the company announced it would “reduce its team by up to 95 employees, 70 of whom are based in Montreal.”
Behavior Interactive’s Co-Founder and CEO Rémi Racine said, “I would like to express my deep personal appreciation for any employee affected by today’s changes,”
He added, “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.”
The Unknown in Dead by Daylight (2016), Behaviour Interactive
The company previously laid off approximately 45 employees or a little less than 3% of the company’s workforce in January at its Montreal studio.
A spokesman informed Games Industry at the time, “Recently, changing market conditions necessitated adjusting the scope of several Behaviour projects. In these situations, our preference is always to reassign talent to other projects. Unfortunately, this option is not always available to us. These departures represented less than 3% of our total workforce.”
Dead by Daylight’s Tome III: Escalation Key Art
The company claims to have over 1,300 employees. Given the estimate of 45 employees being laid off in January and the up to 90 being confirmed by the company now, the company has laid off around 10% of its entire staff.
The company did note that this recent round of layoffs would not affect “Behaviour’s service business nor the development of Dead by Daylight.”
A screenshot of Project T (TBD), Behaviour Interactive
The company is currently working on a new horror game that they are calling Project T. It’s described as a “1-4 person PVE co-op shooter” and is currently in early development.
Back in 2021, the company was also allegedly working on a AAA project for Xbox and PC based on a Linked listing,
Behaviour Interactive Working on AAA Xbox Exclusive Game??? @bogorad222 @BenjiSales @Shpeshal_Nick @Logmey92 pic.twitter.com/e9wHgDjYUT
— Faizan Shaikh (@FaizShaikh7681) October 6, 2021
It’s unclear if the layoffs will affect these projects.
What do you make of Behaviour Interactive laying off around 10% of its workforce this year?
