Behaviour Interactive
CompanyCanada
Documents about Behaviour Interactive
Fireside Chat: How the Home of Dead by Daylight has Stayed Independent. Charlie Scowen & Danni Pratt
Behaviour Interactive, a Canadian game developer with over 30 years of industry experience, maintains its independence by balancing original intellectual property development with strategic co-development services.
- Behaviour Interactive has maintained independence for over 30 years, currently employing over 1,300 people across six global studios.
- The studio enforces a strict 'no-crunch' policy, a culture spearheaded by CEO Rémy Racine that prioritizes work-life balance and employee retention.
- Behaviour Interactive utilizes a 'passion-first' service model, refusing to accept external development projects unless at least one team member is personally obsessed with the specific IP.
How Canada’s Biggest Independent Studio Went Global - Luc Duchaine, Behaviour Interactive.
Behaviour Interactive, Canada’s largest independent video game studio, has successfully transitioned from a work-for-hire service provider to a global publisher of original intellectual property.
- Behaviour Interactive transitioned from a work-for-hire service provider to a global publisher by launching the original IP Dead by Daylight in 2016, which has since reached over 50 million players.
- The studio maintains a dual-revenue model that balances original game development with a work-for-hire division, providing financial stability and opportunities to refine technical expertise on global brands.
- Founded in 1992, the studio has scaled to over 1,200 employees with a physical presence in Montreal, Toronto, Seattle, and the United Kingdom.
Superstar Session: Big or Small: Marketing Must Be Part of Your Plan
The primary thesis of this session is that marketing must be integrated into the game development process from the earliest stages of conception and pre-production, rather than being treated as a secondary function focused solely on sales.
- Marketing must be integrated into the game development process during pre-production to ensure market fit, rather than being treated as a post-development sales function.
- Developers must analyze the broader entertainment landscape—including streaming services and social media—because these platforms compete directly with games for the same limited consumer leisure time.
- Studios should prioritize data-driven audience insights over personal developer preferences to ensure game features align with the specific motivations and expectations of the target demographic.
Dead by Daylight: Object of Obsession
Dead by Daylight functions as a foundational case study in the evolution of asymmetrical 4v1 multiplayer horror, prioritizing visceral, emergent gameplay over traditional interface-heavy mechanics.
- Behaviour Interactive transitioned from a work-for-hire model to self-publishing to establish a sustainable development framework focused on rapid prototyping and internal playtesting.
- The studio shifted from a volume-based content model to a structured, chapter-based release cycle to ensure long-term viability and prevent technical debt.
- Map design utilizes a semi-procedural approach that combines static landmarks for navigational stability with randomized elements to maintain replayability.
