We’re just over a month away from celebrating Dead by Daylight‘s 10th anniversary. The amazing asymmetrical horror game has been around since June 14, 2016, having grown massively since those elden days by collaborating with just about every major horror IP under the sun.
But now that this great jubilee is upon us, which iconic killer should mark this special occasion? After all, this isn’t just any old anniversary, though every year on the market for a live-service game such as this one is definitely worthy of celebration, since we’ve seen all too many “games as a service” attempts end before even their first month goes by.
So far, the only two supergiant slasher horror mascots that aren’t in the game are Jason from Friday the 13th and the eponymous Predator, who have been highly requested by the fans for a very long time.
Naturally, I would love to see the ski mask emerging out of the earth itself with a machete in hand, running down survivors, but I have a feeling that this won’t be happening any time soon. The Friday the 13th license is convoluted and messy, and there were attempts to create a parallel asymmetrical horror game based on that IP alone, which, while rather successful with millions of copies sold, was shuttered once the license had expired. Lawsuits tied to the IP further muddy the waters, and I think that’ll keep going for a while. Unless Behaviour finds a way to secure the iconic slasher at least for a limited time, odds are that Jason will remain an elusive idea rather than a potential collaboration.
As for the Predator, that seems more likely. It doesn’t have the licensing issues of Friday the 13th, and its asymmetrical game isn’t all too successful or popular to keep the IP from collaborating with Dead by Daylight. After all, Texas Chainsaw‘s Leatherface was nevertheless added into DBD despite having his own separate asymmetrical game, and the same goes for Michael Myers, who’s soon to get a dedicated asym Halloween game. We already have the Xenomorph in the game, which itself provides great grounds for a broader collaboration, given that Alien and Predator share a universe and are featured in many films, comics, and games together.
Non-slasher options are there, too.
Stephen King’s IT has never been popular, and Bill Skarsgård’s version of Pennywise the Clown will remain one of the most iconic horror figures to date. Having that rendition in the game would be incredible, especially since there’s also room to include at least a couple of survivors from the films, perhaps both as adults and as teens.
Other than that, there’s Bioshock‘s Big Daddy. While not a horror franchise per se, there are enough horror elements in the original Bioshock games that they’d feel right at home collabing with Dead by Daylight. The hulking diving suit would serve as a great counterweight to the otherwise towering Nemesis, and you can never have enough giant bulky dudes chasing after a feeble group of survivors, who themselves have a lot more going for them than meets the eye.
Twin Peaks is another series that’d be great to have, considering David Lynch’s passing last year. It’d be a great way to honor his legacy since he created what is arguably one of the most compelling horror stories ever told, depicting hell in ways that, though absurd, are probably the most realistic. It’d be a bit more challenging to single out one killer here, but I’m confident that BHVR could pull it off.
At any rate, though, Dead by Daylight is 100 percent going to get some huge name featured for its 10th anniversary. Whoever that winds up being, I don’t think it’s going to be any less spectacular than the names I’ve listed here.
