Comparing Games Like Halloween To Dead By Daylight Doesn’t Make Sense, Illfonic Says
Illfonic has pushed back against inevitable comparisons between its upcoming asymmetrical multiplayer horror game Halloween and Dead by Daylight, the decade-long genre leader. Chief creative officer Jared Gerritzen argued that the comparisons are fundamentally flawed despite superficial similarities in premise. He illustrated the distinction using an analogy, comparing it to drawing equivalence between cricket and baseball—games that may appear similar at first glance but operate on entirely different mechanics and principles.
Halloween is the latest entry in a growing subgenre of asymmetrical multiplayer horror games that have proliferated over the past decade, nearly all of which have faced similar comparisons to Dead by Daylight. This reflects both the dominance of DBD as the genre benchmark and the challenge developers face in establishing unique identities within the space.
Illfonic brings substantial experience to asymmetrical multiplayer horror, having previously developed Friday the 13th, Predator: Hunting Grounds, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The studio’s extensive track record in the space suggests Halloween will attempt to differentiate itself through distinct mechanics and design philosophy, even as industry observers and players inevitably measure it against the established standard-bearer.