Dead by Daylight Devs Explain Chucky’s Exit From Stores and Says Horror Icons Removed Due to Licenses Have ‘Open Invitation’ to Rejoin
Behaviour Interactive has explained the departure of Chucky from Dead by Daylight’s store listings, continuing a pattern of licensed horror icons being removed from the asymmetrical survival horror game. The developer confirmed that Chucky joins Pinhead and Michael Myers as major killer franchises that have been delisted, citing licensing agreements as the reason for their removal.
In a statement to IGN, Behaviour Interactive clarified that the studio does not control removal timelines for licensed content. Instead, departure dates are determined by the terms of licensing agreements with the respective horror franchises and rights holders. The developer emphasized that while these characters are leaving, they remain open to their return, stating that removed horror icons will “continue to have an open invitation to join (or rejoin)” the game in the future.
This reflects the ongoing challenges of live-service games that rely on licensed intellectual property. Each licensed killer comes with time-limited rights agreements, and when licensing periods expire, the content must be removed from digital storefronts. However, players who previously purchased access to these characters typically retain it. Behaviour Interactive’s comments suggest the studio views these removals as temporary departures rather than permanent exclusions, leaving the door open for future collaborations should licensing agreements be renegotiated.