Dead By Daylight developer Behavior Interactive has announced it will layoff 95 developers as part of what it is calling “strategic changes for future growth.”
In a statement published on its website, Behavior begins by chronicling its growth charged by Dead By Daylight and its 60 million players since launch eight years prior, and the studio doubling in size to 1,300 employees.
1,300 minus 95 now however, as much of that growth happened in the last five years, and Behavior’s problem with that is the rest of the games industry grew too. Now, these “strategic changes” are being enacted as a way to combat the “unprecedented competition” Behavior now feels faced with.
In response, like many other games industry company’s that have had layoffs, Behavior is opting to “focus on its historical strengths,” in this case being horror games.
“I would like to express my deep personal appreciation for any employee affected by today’s changes,” said co-founder and chief executive officer of Behavior Interactive Rémi Racine.
He continued, “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 Behavior’s growth, our commitment to excellence in our products and workplace culture remains steadfast.”
This is the second round of layoffs Behavior Interactive has conducted in 2024 alone, beginning with 45 employees this past January, and another 95 now. Back in January, it cited “changing market conditions” which to its eyes “necessitated adjusting the scope of several Behavior projects.” In both cases, the Montreal studio was impacted the most.
Months later it seems Racine and co. decided that wasn’t enough, and nearly 100 more employees had to go.
It is once again disappointing to see more layoffs in this industry, and more developers impacted by what’s been a non-stop stream of mass layoffs for more than two years.
Part of the disappointment comes from the fact that narrowing in on certain projects and cutting away as much of the payroll as possible is only ever successful in driving away talented individuals from the games industry. It benefits a company portfolio in the short term, but negatively impacts the future of the industry as a whole, of which Behavior is a part of.
It is continually befuddling that layoffs like this continue to persist. Hopefully those impacted here are able to land on their feet as quickly as possible.
Source – [Behavior Interactive]