Shin Megami Tensei: The Pros, Cons and Challenges

Of all the potential properties that could come into Dead by Daylight, Shin Megami Tensei is one of the largest lesser-known IPs that would thematically fit into the world of The Fog. It is a series of monster tamer turn-based role-playing games where you play as a (mainly) late teen/early adult who happens to find themselves caught within a post-apocalyptic crisis where humanity is on its metaphorical knees by the hands of demons. The PC must learn to hone their ability to recruit demons they fight, survive in a hostile world where gods and demons will kill you and have your ideals be the one that decides the path of the world after the old world order has faded. The series is known for and beloved by its fans for the dark and desolate atmosphere inspired by the likes of the Devilman anime. It is an atmosphere that explores the nuances of humanity and how the best choices are determined by the player's own autonomy, showcased in the multiple endings the games make as their signature philosophical hook.

With the background of the series out of the way, the question that burns would be "Why should this IP be considered for a potential Chapter in Dead by Daylight over so many other potential IPs?" For one, the gray and bleak atmosphere and morality crafted within the series surprisingly fits in very well with the lore of DBD; the games often deal with themes of survival, the fear of death and the lengths humans will go to live even if it means betraying others. Due to the nature of the game, there is not only a lot of ease with finding potential Survivors and Killers, but the game mechanics would be able to inspire a lot of ideas for Killer Powers, Perks and potentially even a Map that takes place in a post-apocalyptic urban setting. The potential for cosmetics and Legendary Skins is also very high too as the games do have a certain style that would fit in line with licensed cosmetics present in the game.

...and now the challenges for this property. For one, it's not really a requested or mainstream popular property. Even with its legacy and growth, Shin Megami Tensei remains a niche IP. Another con against it that necessarily is not the fault of the IP is that the series takes place mainly in Tokyo. With there being a high proliferation of Japanese-styled content in DBD both original and licensed, it would be possible for fatigue to set in over another Japanese-centric IP when there are many other places The Fog can go to such as the Sub-Sahara, Middle-East, Eastern Europe for Original Chapters or try to get licenses for other highly-requested IPs in the realm of Horrors, Slashers and Fantasy. This one is perhaps the biggest hurdle that not even having the manifestation of humanity's fear of death represented by horrifically terrifying skeletons as Killers would be able to sway the opinion away from.

Despite these cons and challenges, I do think that Shin Megami Tensei would make for an amazing chapter with fascinating lore that could tie into DbD's narrative like how DbD became tied into the lore of Dungeons & Dragons. I do acknowledge it's a longshot of a longshot, but it could be fun to imagine what this IP could bring to DbD