Vikram - Sr Product Manager
Q: Does hitting "thumbs up" on player who was good to play with do anything? Do you actively use the data at the moment? I'd love to believe that sending positive feedback has positive effects.
A: It is monitored tough there is presently no direct incidence. That said all data is good data for us and we encourage players to continue to show their appreciation this way. We are looking for more actionable items with this feature in the future. -Vikram
Q: Do you have any plans to remove the prestige 1 requirement for the auto bloodweb? It just feels very unnecessary restriction to have especially when new characters drop. Even new players have mentioned how tedious it actually is.
A: There are improvements already planned and players can expect them in the near future! -Vikram
Q: Are there any plans on adding the perk randomiser we had for a tome challenge in the past as a permanent feature? I had a lot of fun trying to get value out of a randomised build, and would love to see it as a permanent option you can choose while selecting your loadout.
A: "Perk Randomizer" was a great initiative, and we are hoping to bring it back in the future in some shape or form! -Vikram
Q: is there any chance to make iri shards easier to get?
A: We are assessing this and may adjust it if we think it is necessary! -Vikram
Q: How can DBD sustain its current development cycle?
From the player perspective, so many add-ons, perks, mechanics, and features are heavily neglected and in desperate need of fixes/healthy updates. DBD will at some point become stupid big with its roster, whether that be 50, 100, or 200 killers. What are you going to do then? Wouldn't it be more sustainable to Slow the roll on new chapters and spend more time on evergreen content (i.e. polished chapters and updates)?
A: We are happy to see players enjoying us bringing new characters and IPs to the game at regular intervals. Having said that we are looking into different sustainable options without compromising fun for DbD fans!
Good question but the DbD world is ever evolving, please stay tuned to see how things mould in the future! -Vikram
Q: It can be very unfair de-pipping most of the time for reasons out of your control, like being tunneled out early game or face camped. Moreover, these matches can also sting not only because of the de-pip, but because of how little blood points you get.
I say this to ask, could de-pipping be removed, or reworked? Also, could we possibly get something like a blood point bonus at the end of matches for playing them out on both Survivor and Killer as well? As little as 5 or 10k at the end of a match could give more people an incentive to play out a bad match rather than DC’ing.
A: We’ll pass on the feedback to the team. In the meantime we are attempting (again) to tackle face camping in near future, so hopefully that helps solve part of the problem. -Vikram
Q2: Can you give an objective distance of what constitutes "face camping". How close will the killer need to be for this to trigger?
A2: When the feature is ready to come to PTB you will be able to test this for yourself and see how the feature is working.
It's definitely something that we'll be monitoring the feedback around and we're looking forward to seeing what our players think of the mechanic.
Q3: My concern is that if this distance is set at too high a level, it'll deter the killer from legit proxy action, espeically in a situation where 2 or more hooks are close to one another (or hooks are close to a gen that needs to be patrolled).
A3: Completely understand the concern! That's partly why we use a PTB to test these things out - area can be adjusted for example if it's set too far or too close.
Dave Richard - Creative Director
Q: Will Five Nights at Freddy’s ever be in dead by daylight in the near future?
A: Never say never! -Dave
Q: I really enjoyed the PTB that was just for auto-moris, and felt like the community's feedback mattered. Are there plans to do future PTBs to test out big mechanics changes like that?
A: Yes! Organizing PTBs can be tricky for many reasons, but the information and feedback we get from them are vital. Not every feature and change will go through a PTB like the chapters, but I'm hopeful it'll happen again. That said, we monitor the community's feedback even when we do not go through a PTB, so please continue to share what's on your mind :) -Dave
Q: Can you change the color of the fog to match the map? Black fog is great for obscuring things on dark maps, but just make things stand out more on bright maps like Coldwind and Ormond.
A: Like most elements in DBD, the environment, atmosphere, and lighting are in constant flux in time. Updates to our technology, knowledge base, and experience will affect how we tackle and push toward our vision for art direction. Thank you for sharing your preference. -Dave
Q: Are you planning to re-visit Susie and Joey's voices from The Legion? It seems like one of the things that seems dated today, with such an unique cast of voice actors for the other characters in the game and their possible increase in popularity thanks to the comics.
A: Not planned, but thank you for shining a light on it :) -Dave
Q: Maurice is the horse in Crotus Penn. Jacques is the vulture on Dead Dawg. Which other animals have names in the DbD dev team?
A: That's a hard question! Maurice is the only horse with an official name. All the other animals are not horses. 🐴 -Dave
Q: Will there be any options for changing the brightness in the game? I feel this would help console players and content creators.
A: We are looking into future customisable options within the platforms regulations and guidelines. It's important for us to always consider the playing experience for all involved. -Dave
Q: Will there be any options for changing the brightness in the game? I feel this would help console players and content creators.
A: We are looking into future customisable options within the platforms regulations and guidelines. It's important for us to always consider the playing experience for all involved. -Dave
Q: What's the reasoning behind making hooks "Xenomorph themed" in every map instead of the usual map themed hooks? Are killer themed hooks coming back?
A: No specific plans on reintroducing Killer themed hook. The Xenomorph will only bring back victims to the hive, so we wanted to make it feel like a homecoming of sorts, hence why the hooks are Hive-themed. -Dave
Q: Any reason as to why The Nostromo Wreckage is located in the same realm as Toba Landing?
A: It's unclear how The Entity shapes Realms and Maps. The agglomeration of different memories, mixing absolutely different locals together, is not out of question. The Nostromo never crashed, this is a nightmarish version of it, recreated by The Entity. -Dave
Q: Hi. Is there a chance that Vittorio gets actual medieval outfits in near future? Latest ones are really cool but they're just clothings which he found in entitys realm.
For example, his lore key art has a cool medieval outfit but it's not even in store :C
A: Yes, that is definitely a possibility. Thank you for letting us know of your preferences. -Dave
Q: Do you guys enjoy making Dead by Daylight?
A: image
Q: I really enjoy silly trivia.
What are some of the funniest internal testing bugs you've come across?
A: Not exactly a bug but our proto killers often use mashups of other killer models + animation rigs. It makes them look extra silly/scary depending. Just imagine a bright red doctor with extended limbs and a very twisted spine. Always makes me laugh. -Dave
Q: Has there ever been a map setting that you’ve wanted to use but never had a chapter to tie it to?
A: Oh yes for sure! We have many ideas locked in "the well of horrors". As soon as we have a fit for them, we'll let them out! -Dave
Q: Any plans on making more interactions in maps in the future, including already existing maps, just the way you guys did with Nostromo by adding levers in the spaceship for the survivors to activate them mid chase.
A: Yes, I think they are very interesting for discovery and gameplay possibilities. It's defenitely something we want to develop again for future maps,and potentially older maps, as much as we can. -Dave
Q: Will Rainbow birb friends' ever make it to the game as additional charms?
A: We will consider it! -Dave
Q: Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA!!
I need to talk about maps and how they can have – next to the Killer character – the most impact on how a match will go:
The unique setting and cool visuals sometimes do not make up for the heavy inconsistency when it comes to map design. Size, amount of pallets, main building windows, loops next to each other, dead zones, placement of Killer belongings, fixed exit gates, line-of-sight objects ... to only mention some key aspects.
It comes to a point that one side sadly does not participate in the game anymore on certain maps (AFKing, DC'ing, or giving up).
Are you aware of this problem and if yes, how do you make sure, this does not become a bigger issue in regard of ...
- designing new maps
- (not) reworking older maps
- map offerings
A: Yes, very aware. Our level designers, artists and QAs are taking great care into designing fun spaces for the game. We want to make sure the Maps introduce interesting strategies and scenario, that they feel novel. They are built using extensive knowledge base on quantities, recipes of placement, porousness, lighting, general visibility, vegetation etc. That said, there is not a way (not yet anyways) to be 100% sure a Map will not have a circumstantial imbalance. Playing and voicing your concerns/bad experience is one of the way we can address those either at PTB or after release. -Dave
Q: New map was always supposed to be open or did it changed during development from in-door map?
A: If you are referring to Nostromo wreckage, it was always supposed to be a mix of indoors and outdoors. We wanted to have both the claustrophobia/tight space of the ship AND the scary vastness of an unknown planet featured. -Dave
Matt S - Design Director
Q: How do you strike a balance between balancing perks for the average player vs. more experienced players? I often see streamers talking about the "spreadsheet" and how some perks seem to be nerfed or buffed strictly based on usage numbers. Thanks and love the game!
A: Great question! That's certainly a hard one when it comes to balancing a live game. When we release new perks we consider both new and experienced players and try to provide something interesting for both groups of players. When it comes to usage rates and win rates, these are certainly data points that we consider, however, they never tell the full picture - there are many other pieces of information we need to analyze before we commit to any specific design. -Matt
Q: A simple one : what are you guys planning on doing with skull merchants? I haven't played a single game vs skull merchants that didn't camp 3 gens from the start and I'm sick of having my game held hostage just because the killer can.
A: Hey there, yeah, we are certainly aware that the Skull Merchant is very good at locking down generators in certain situations. We have a big rework planned for a future release - there's too much detail to go into here, but we will be releasing more information soon! -Matt
Q: Are there any plans to allow survivors to see their teammates’ perks in the pre game lobby?
A: Maybe? *PS. I have been told that I can't answer, "Maybe?" to these questions, so I will reply with a solid, "I decline to answer that question". -Matt
Q2: no offense (full offense) but whats the point of a qna if extremely basic QOL requests are gonna get dodged with a yes no maybe so
Q3: Because these answers are not patchnotes? What happens if they're considering that feature, and the person says "yes" and then partway through developing it they realize "actually this has more downsides than positives, this is a bad idea?" Then BHVR lied to me, evil company, please boycott!!
Asking for concrete answers on unannounced, possible features in the future of DBD is not in my definition "extremely basic."
A2: Game development is very much like that. What can sound like a great idea on paper often takes on a different appearance in prototyping and other issues can arise that may take the original idea off the table.
Q4: I definitely understand the sentiment behind not wanting to reveal too much information for fear that you may not be able to release it, but at the same time I think the community as a whole would be very appreciative if they heard about potential ideas for the game, even if they never actually get added. It would allow the community to give feedback on changes before a bunch of work is put into them, and it would generate extra hype for the future if it is actually well-received. And we’re not asking for specific dates or anything, just a general idea of what kind of changes are being thought of for the game.
A3: Thank you for your feedback and understanding - definitely will take your points on board. Making it clear that this is something that's being tested and may or may not happen is where the issues can lie, but it's something that I would like to work on in an attempt to improve the transparency even if things have a big WIP written on them.
Q: Do you have any plans to adjust any blight addons? Many of them are quite strong, mainly alch ring, adren vial, and the speed addons.
A: We are looking into a Blight update for the near future. Unfortunately, nothing to share at this point - too many other things in the works lately, but the pinball champ is definitely on the list! -Matt
Q: How do you decide if a killer perk will be a hex ?
A: If a particular perk makes sense to be a Hex perk (from a design / theme / narrative / perspective), then we will consider making it a Hex perk and design accordingly. Usually, our Hex perks are a little bit stronger than regular perks, as they can possibly be destroyed throughout the match. -Matt
Q: Although it's only been out for a few months, Made for This (MFT) has become one of the most popular survivor perks in the game. Many players, including some of the most experienced and skillful players, think this perk is too strong in the hands of good survivors and it needs to be changed. Are you guys planning any nerfs or changes for MFT?
A: MFT is on the list for a bit of a touch-up soon. -Matt
A: MFT is on the list for a bit of a touch-up soon. -Matt
Q: Are we going to have killer bots soon for both custom matches, and if a killer disconnects would that be in the near future?
A: While this is something we consider we don't expect this to be implemented in the near future. -Matt
Q: Are there any plans to support keyboard and mouse for consoles?
A: Not planned as yet... but maybe something we will be considering for the future. -Matt
Q: Regarding the games rather repetitive (but still fun) gameplay, can you say anything about if there will possibly be limited time game modes, or permanent game modes that differ in ways from the main game mode in the future?
A: While I can't say much, we have been hard at work prototyping some new things for the future of DbD. We're aiming for 2024 - we'll keep you updated! -Matt
Q: Has there been more development for a permanent solution or mechanic against killers whos main goal is protecting only 3 gens from start to finish? Thank you so much!!!
A: We're looking to find a system that addresses a very specific gameplay behaviour without having a major effect on other regular matches. It has definitely been a challenge, but it is something we are still working on and may have a solution to share in an upcoming patch. -Matt
Q2: Maybe reworking BNP again into something that can actually break a 3gen?
A2: The issue with that, is that it would be a must bring addon then. We did buff Deja Vu as a temporary measure but we're definitely more interested in solving this issue at base rather than make a perk or item a must have for these situations.
Q: In the previous AMA, you confirmed that Freddy will receive an update, can you say something about him? I would like it to have the original essence of the movies, a fearsome entity from the world of nightmares and feel fun to play, since the current Freddy is super boring and has no essence of what Freddy Krueger is.
A: Yeah, we still plan on tweaking Freddy's gameplay, however, our priority list has shifted, as is to be expected of a live game. It will happen at some stage. -Matt
Q: Hi!The Twins rework, first brought up in January 2022's dev update, has been slated for early 2024. Given the extremely low play rate of the Killer in question and the long time this rework has been in the pipeline, there's been a lot of anxieties amid the Twins playerbase about what's going to happen and I and others would be grateful for some insights.
Should we be expecting something more akin to, for example
-The Leatherface rework, where his kit was polished with the token system and his addons were updated but his core power and identity remained largely the same
-The Doctor rework, which mostly "declunkified" the power and polished the addons, but kept the power's functionality broadly intact
-The Freddy rework, which jettisoned 95% of everything Freddy used to be and replaced it with a totally different Killer power
I suppose what I'm really asking: is the Twins rework going to transform the power comprehensively to the point that it bears few to no similarities to the original (like Freddy) or are we looking at something more Doctor/Bubba scale where the core gameplay remains intact?
Thanks!
EDIT: tweaked the end of the question to be less... emotionally loaded.
A: We will be releasing a Twins update soonTM. Currently, we're aiming for more of a 'tweak' to the base kit and a couple of add-ons to alleviate some friction points, adjust the slugging meta, and stop Victor from getting stuck all over the Map. Hopefully they will be more fun to play for everyone! -Matt
Q: 5 years ago, you incorporated a new mechanic for the game, the endgame collapse, will we see anyone soon for the early game?
A: A while back, we had considered an 'Early Game' phase of the game, however, we didn't feel it was necessary at the time. This isn't to say we wouldn't do something like that in the future, but for now we don't have anything planned. -Matt
Q: Hey guys, really glad you’re doing the AMA, I’ve been playing the game since Chapter 13 and I’m a big fan of DBD :)
Are there any plans to buff/rework The Shape? I’ve been maining him since I started playing and he feels extremely underwhelming at high MMR, with absolutely zero map pressure, mobility, or slowdown. His chase power is very underwhelming compared to most of the killer roster. His early game is absolutely terrible because of his slow movement in Tier 1, meaning he has to “level up” into a regular M1 killer, which costs him dearly in applying early pressure. However, he is hard carried by Tombstone Piece, which is a super unhealthy addon in nature because of its ability to instantly kill a survivor without warning, which puts him into this weird state where he’s garbage without Tombstone but unhealthy for the game with it.
Michael Myers is a beloved killer by the community, but he’s a relic of old DBD- an incredibly dated power with a few bizarre hitches (he’s the only killer who can totally run out of his power over the course of the match, stalking is weirdly lessened at range when Ghost Face’s isn’t), an ancient model that wasn’t updated when both his map and Laurie were, and one incredibly powerful addon that’s unhealthy for the current state of the game. Are there plans to bring the game’s first licensed chapter, a community favourite and a true icon of the horror genre up to modern DBD’s much more polished standards?
A: Yeah, absolutely agreed! We would love to update Myers and give him the attention he deserves! No design as yet, unfortunately. -Matt
Rose Li, Sr Product Manager
Q: You have talked about revisiting original set cosmetics to see if it would be possible to split them up or even split them into a 2-piece-set with the third piece being mix-and-match-able. Though in the last AMA it sounded like this isn’t planned anymore whatsoever. Could we get clarification on that? Also iirc the license-holder of the Silent Hill content have said the set-cosmetics being sets is something in BHVRs hands – so would it be possible to have some of the Cheryl cosmetics be split up?
A: We still wish to have 2-piece sets instead of 3, and while this is not on the roadmap yet, it's been on our backlog and will be addressed once we have proper tools in place -Rose
Q: What's been going on with your cosmetic descriptions lately? They've become very terse.
A: We've been experimenting with 'description templates' in an attempt to standardize text in the store. We've heard your feedback and we will be improving the process and the content! -Rose
Q: When is the Iron Maiden collection coming? Also how many Eddie skins are we getting? I hope to see the first album Eddie for Legion, it fits so perfectly especially with the Sanctuary cover
A: The Iron Maiden Collection will be coming early next year, there will be a full Collection of Eddies and they all look super cool ;) -Rose
Q: Are we able to customize the bots with cosmetics that we bought or earned within the rift later in the future?
A: We currently don't have plans to customize bots. -Rose
Q: Shirtless Gabriel when? 🤔
A: In due time! (stop being thirsty!) -Rose
Q: Will you bring back old cosmetics for newer players? There’s a few I’d really enjoy that aren’t in store anymore
A: Event-limited Outfits will come back every year for new players to obtain, same for Very Rare and above Rift Outfits, however Legacy Outfits will not be returning. -Rose
Q: Do you plan on some sort of cosmetic/ milestone for hitting P100 on a character? I know it is an achievement to reach a character that high, but beyond a bloody outfit and 3 perk charms that’s a bit of a gap.
A: Hello! As players who get to P100 are very, very rare, we currently don't have plans for updating P100 rewards. Thanks for bringing this to our attention however - nothing is ever off the table! -Rose
Q: Will we ever get a charm shop? :(
A: The majority of charms in DbD are considered unique earnables, and we don't want to stick a price tag to them which would make them less valuable for collection. -Rose
Mandy, Lead Community Manager
Q: Hey. Is it possible to tell about the situation of the fast vaults? What is causing the bug, if there's an estimated date for the fix or any other detail. Thank you in advance!
A: We are aware of the inconsistencies surrounding the fast vault animation for Survivors and are anticipating addressing this in an upcoming PTB. -Mandy
Q: Can we get perk trending updates more frequently? I think this kind of information will be very much welcome in the community, and also a good way to get community feedbacks.
A: We're definitely looking at sharing more stats over the coming months - stay tuned! -Mandy
Q: Non technical question here: What are the dev teams favorite horror movies? Im just curious!
A: The Shining -Mandy
Piranhas 2: The Spawning -Anonymous
I am too old to have favorites ;) -Dave
Q: Why are there so many undocumented features with every patch? In recent weeks, we've gotten things like Pinhead receiving a new dolly-zoom camera transition when opening a gateway, one of the RPD doorways being enlarged, some people receiving a feature to see loadout in the lobby, some people having prestiges in the lobby hidden, harvester changes in coldwind, Clown unable to look down, the jolt scream change, walls on the borgo being raised, and so many more, yet nothing about them is in the patch notes or announced on social media. Every DBD community I'm in is flooded with questions after every patch of people who encounter something unexpected and don't know if it's a bug or supposed to be a feature.
A: Some of what you mention are known bugs, a few other things are also AB testing which is not something that we highlight in advance and only a group of selected players are used for testing those.
We are continually updating our patch notes process to ensure that every department supplies the information on even minor changes so that we can give fully complete patch notes and this is an ongoing process that we're looking to improve upon. Thank you for your comment.
Q: The beta tab was a somewhat recent feature that came with the option of a new wiggle system (that we now have permanently). In the past, there were also multiple instances of gameplay mechanics that were modified for a limited time (such as no bloodlust, no stun immunity during the pickup animation, etc).
Do the developers plan on releasing special changes or beta tabs like these in the future?
A: Whilst we have nothing planned at the present time that would benefit us having things in the Beta Tab (most things do go into the PTB), when we do need longer trials of things we will definitely consider using the Beta tab but nothing at the present time I'm afraid.
Q: Will there be cross progression between Xbox consoles and Xbox PC? If so, when? Or any cross progression news in general? Thanks!
A: I'm sorry but there is no further update on Cross Progression at the present time - please keep an eye on our social channels as for sure if this does change, that will be the first place to learn about such changes.
Q: during the anniversary you guys said you would be more communicative with the player base streams and such, we haven't had much in the way of direct communication outside of your own forums and that hurts transparency and I for one would love more frequent and open dialogue whether it be occasional streams or even dev diaries you could talk perks, killers, balance, player concerns, etc. even feedback gets heated I'd rather feedback happen prior to actual PTBs or updates. thanks for your time and responses
A: Part of our mandate for more communication is these AMA's, as well as our team being active upon our platforms including Steam and Official Forums - we do have Community members on those platforms on a daily basis responding to players as well as monitoring feedback.
We will also be continuing with the Dev Updates which normally happen prior to in-game changes.
Streams are definitely on the list - these do take a lot more organisation to run, a lot of people work from home etc and it also means taking people away from other tasks. Which is why you often see members of the Community Team taking over these areas as it's part of our role to be the bridge between Community and Designers for example (as well as other departments).
We will definitely be continuing with things such as AMA's and improving the formats on each and every one.
Thank you for your question
