Even in 2021, Dead by Daylight thrives, while other asymmetrical games are fading away. But why does Dead by Daylight continue to survive?
About 6 years ago, the genre of asymmetrical games began to experience a surge. The basic concept is quite similar. There is a “Power Role” that is alone and extremely powerful. The opposing team consists of several players, all of whom are significantly weaker but enjoy the numerical advantage.
Major representatives of this genre came and quickly disappeared:
- After a gigantic hype, the monster game Evolve disappeared ignominiously a few months after release. It went free-to-play and shut down completely a few months later.
- Due to a bitter copyright debacle, Friday the 13th: The Game had to shut down its operations a while ago. No more updates are available, and development has ceased. The game is practically dead.
- Predator: Hunting Grounds is technically still alive and is receiving patches, but it seems to have disappeared into obscurity. There are no official figures on active players, and early reviews were extremely negative—many people have forgotten about the game.
However, one game has survived this “genre death.” Specifically, the game that promotes itself with the slogan “Death is no refuge”—Dead by Daylight.
But what makes Dead by Daylight so much better than its genre counterparts, all of which have faded into obscurity? Why does Dead by Daylight thrive even nearly 5 years after release and continue to grow year after year?
Let’s look at why Dead by Daylight is likely a hot candidate for your “next game” in 2021.
What is Dead by Daylight?
In its basic outlines, Dead by Daylight is quickly explained. Four players take on the role of “Survivors” against a Killer, who is also controlled by a player. The Survivors must repair several generators on the map to then open the exit gates and escape. The Killer, on the other hand, wants to prevent this and kill the Survivors by knocking them down and then hanging them on hooks.
What may sound monotonous at first presents new challenges each round. With 22 different Killers and numerous perks, each match is different. While some Killers set bear traps, others can become invisible, throw hatchets, or appear from nightmares like Freddy Krueger.
While the Killer relentlessly pursues a single goal – to kill the Survivors swiftly – the Survivors must make larger decisions more frequently:
- Do I try to rescue another Survivor from the hook, risking my own life?
- Do I sacrifice valuable time searching for small totems on the map that empower the Killer as long as they haven’t been found yet?
- Do I confront the Killer myself to distract them from an already injured ally?
These and many other decisions, which must often be made in Dead by Daylight within a second, provide constant variety.
Why is Dead by Daylight doing so well?
But let’s return to the question of why Dead by Daylight thrives while other genre representatives have met with an ignominious end. There are plenty of reasons for this. Although Dead by Daylight often receives criticism for its patch policy, which is often not tested sufficiently, the developers are doing a lot of things right.
Strong licenses: No other horror game has secured as many rights to well-known figures as Dead by Daylight. In addition to Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Amanda Young (SAW), creatures like the Demogorgon (Stranger Things), Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Ghost Face (Scream) are also present. For fans of classic and modern horror figures, Dead by Daylight is a must.
Aggressive update policy: Dead by Daylight follows an aggressive patch policy. Basically, a major patch is released every 6 weeks. Here, “Chapter” patches alternate with smaller patches. While a Chapter (almost always) brings new Killers and Survivors, the interim patches provide balancing and map revisions, meaningful innovations, or cosmetic expansions.
Next Gen in focus: For about a year, Dead by Daylight has been working to bring all maps, objects, and animations up to date and massively overhaul the graphics. No wonder, as some graphical details date back to the beta of 2015. To ensure that Dead by Daylight looks good on modern computers and the new console generation, they started early to polish everything visually for “Next Gen.”
The success of this strategy can also be seen in the numbers. Alone on Steam, Dead by Daylight has remained in the top 20 most-played games for months, even coming close to the top 10 with the release of new Killers. From an initial nearly 11,200 concurrent players in June 2016, the number has gradually climbed to 35,600 concurrent players in December 2020 (via Steamcharts)—there have been some fluctuations up and down in between, but those were mostly related to major releases.
Over the years, Dead by Daylight has grown and has also objectively improved. Unfair mechanics like “infinite escape opportunities” (“Infinites”) have been removed. Killers who like to camp are punished by the game with fewer victory points. The endgame collapse provides an adrenaline rush in the final moments of a match and forces both sides to wrap up the match as quickly as possible.
On the streaming platform Twitch, Dead by Daylight has a staggering 9 million followers (as of January 19, 2021). This is not surprising – after all, matches are exciting to watch, and streamers can provide many tricks or tips or show a cool combination of perks.
How a round with the standard Killer Trapper can unfold is shown by the well-known DbD streamer “not Ozdarva” here:
Is Dead by Daylight really €145?
Those looking at the prices for Dead by Daylight on Steam or the various console stores will be surprised. In addition to the base costs of around €20 for the base game, there is a whole range of DLCs. Excluding purely cosmetic DLCs and fully focusing on characters, i.e. Killers and Survivors, the total price amounts to about €145 (base game plus 18 DLCs). It’s clear that this price can be off-putting. After all, it sounds like an investment that overshadows even a new blockbuster AAA title.
However, let me reassure you: You don’t need all the DLCs to have fun in Dead by Daylight. The base game is sufficient for beginners.
Incidentally, 10 out of 18 DLCs can be fully unlocked with in-game currency earned. So if you don’t want immediate access to all Killers and Survivors – which might be overwhelming for newcomers anyway – you can gradually unlock different characters without spending an additional euro. Only the DLCs for licensed characters and franchises, like Ghost Face, Stranger Things, or Halloween, can only be unlocked with real money.
If you want all the content, you should wait for a special sale. During major events like the Summer Sale on Steam or comparable sales in the PS or Xbox Store, the DLCs are often discounted by 40% to 60%.
Which Killer is worth it for you and what the individual villains can do, our extensive list of all 22 Killers reveals.
Who is Dead by Daylight worth it for?
If you have four other friends and are looking for a game to play together, you can unreservedly recommend Dead by Daylight. In “Custom Matches” with four friends, Dead by Daylight is a ton of fun – as not much is more enjoyable than hanging your friends, scaring them with Michael Myers, or devouring their intestines as a vicious witch.
However, Dead by Daylight has a steep learning curve. The first 20 hours in the game are mostly experienced from the spectator’s perspective. As a rule, you die first and don’t quite understand what you did wrong or why the Killer keeps finding you. But if you fight through the tough learning phase – which is much easier with friends in tow – Dead by Daylight is a game that can captivate you for months and years.
Dead by Daylight is not recommended for players who lack patience. The game has grown significantly over the years, and unlocking all perks and characters can take a while. The harsh entry phase may scare away some players early on.
Moreover, the community in Dead by Daylight has a notorious reputation at the highest ranks. In almost every match, there’s an angry Survivor (or the Killer) who insults their teammates in the chat and considers themselves the crown of creation, who of course makes no mistakes. If you don’t have thick skin and get quickly discouraged by this, at least disable the chat – which thankfully can be done with a click.
Conclusion: No end in sight for Dead by Daylight – for good reason
Dead by Daylight is still getting better
Even after almost 5 years, not everything in Dead by Daylight is perfect yet. But when you look at the development year by year, this asymmetrical horror game has become better little by little. There are still small bugs and balancing problems that disrupt the fun at some points, but the list of issues is gradually getting shorter.
In summary, Dead by Daylight is the last “big” survivor of the asymmetrical horror games and the only candidate that has grown over the years and combines truly strong licenses with world-famous Killers in a game world. Horror fans who enjoy the thrill on both sides – both as the Killer and (hopefully) the surviving victim – can’t miss Dead by Daylight. Those who survive the tough entry will find a game they can invest hundreds of hours into and always return to.
Cortyn Nightshade
Asymmetrical killer demon from MeinMMO
