All Good Things Must Come to an End
Dead By Daylight has a reputation for associating with other intellectual properties. The game acts as an excellent promotional vessel, and players get to enjoy the thrills of being hunted by (or hunt as!) their favorite monsters. But in a landscape like this, IP law can sometimes be strange and unpredictable.
While no official source has stated a reason outright, the general consensus within player forums is that legal rights ran out. Perhaps a contract wasn’t going to be renewed, or was always meant to be a temporary thing. Either way, Behavior Interactive is no longer able to have the Stranger Things IP associated with their game, and as a result, it’s being cut on November 17th, at 2pm EST.
Nancy, Steve, and The Demogorgon are leaving the Dead by Daylight store in November, but we’re not ready to say goodbye just yet.
Take part in their legacy before they go – details here: https://t.co/mR2pUJkrOz pic.twitter.com/BMOq1PsE3f
— Dead by Daylight (@DeadByBHVR) August 16, 2021
As for the specifics, here’s what we know:
The map “Hawken” will be entirely removed from the game.
Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, and the Demogorgon (and all associated cosmetics) will remain purchasable until November 17th, after which point no player will be able to acquire them. The characters will remain playable in the game, so players can still encounter them – but will not have the ability to play as them.
These changes will apply to all platforms, simultaneously.
For players still looking to get their hands on Stranger Things content, there is some good news: the affected bits of downloadable content will be going on sale, starting August 18th. The sale looks pretty significant too; 60% off is a rather sizable chunk. While the discount is nice, many players would just prefer that these items remain in-game. And no doubt Behavior Interactive feels the same way. This is a situation nobody is happy with, and these iconic characters will be sorely missed.