Summary
WhileFortnitehas become a hub for the entire pop-culture zeitgeist, from movies to TV shows to music to fellow video games,Dead by Daylightis content with simply being the home of horror in the gaming world. Released all the way back in June 2016,Dead by Daylightwore its horror movie influences on its sleeve, with its original Killer line-up clearly borrowing a few elements from horror icons likeTexas Chain Saw Massacre’s Leatherface, andFriday the 13th’s Jason Vorhees. But as the years have gone on, andDead by Daylighthas remained one of the most popular horror games around, it’s managed to grow into a sort of hub where many of its influences now live full-time.
Since 2016,Dead by Daylighthas added a total of 13 crossover Killers, all of which have come from some of the most popular horror movies, shows, and video games of all time. FromResident Evil’s NemesistoAlien’s Xenomorph to even the influential Leatherface himself,Dead by Daylight’s crossovers have been fast and furious, and its next one is only a matter of time. And when that time comes, there’s one long-requested crossover Killer that finally needs to float on in: Pennywise.
Debuting all the way back inStephen King’s 1986 novelIT, Pennywise the Dancing Clown is easily one of the most requested crossover Killers forDead by Daylight, and always has been. While Pennywise might not be the first character to come to mind when asked about iconic horror villains, his design is undeniably iconic, especially in the more recent movie adaptations.
WithDead by Daylightalready working its way through the back catalog of the most iconic horror villains, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Pennywise is in the game, and that should happen sooner rather than later. There’s currently anITprequel show in the works over at HBO Max titledWelcome to Derry, and it’s set to premiere at some point in 2024. Getting timely crossovers is definitely somethingDead by Daylighthas needed to work on in the past, with a lot of its collaborations not really tying into any concurrent releases, though itsupcomingAlan Wakecrossoverdoes seem to show that Behaviour Interactive is trying to solve this problem.
WhileDead by Daylightalready has a Killer Clown, his visual design and Killer abilities would likely be completely different to a potential Pennywise crossover Killer.
It might be a while before Pennywise is added toDead by Daylight, but until then, it’s still fun to speculate on how the crossover Killer could play.Dead by Daylightis no stranger to having surprisingly complex, hidden lore, so Pennywise would fit right at home in The Entity’s universe. Far more than just a creepy clown, Pennywise is actually part of an interdimensional species known as the Deadlights, beings that feast on fear and are capable of shapeshifting at will to best harvest it.
More recentDead by DaylightKillershave really shaken up the usual gameplay loop and expected Killer abilities, and that’s exactly what a Pennywise crossover should do. Pennywise’s main Killer ability should let him shapeshift, both into one of the Survivors, and a giant mutant spider. Disguised as a Survivor, Pennywise would be able to hide among the rest, slowly harvesting fear for every second that he spends around them, hidden.
Once his fear gauge is full, Pennywise would be able to unleash his more monstrous form, immediately giving Survivors the Exposed status effect, and letting Pennywise down them in just one hit. This would introduce a whole new type of Killer gameplay loop, with the player needing to carefully decide when to strike and interrupt the Survivors' progress and when to just sit back and let them continue.
Dead by Daylight
WHERE TO PLAY
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity.Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor.This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
