For the second time this year, Behaviour Interactive has announced a round of layoffs. The Dead by Daylight maker says it will dismiss as many as 95 employees, 70 of whom are based in its home city of Montreal. The company also has studios in Toronto, Seattle, the UK and the Netherlands. It previously shed 45 jobs in January.
Behaviour said in a press release that its ranks had grown from 575 to 1,300 over the last five years, buoyed by the success of Dead by Daylight and its service business (it works “alongside the industry’s global leaders to develop hundreds of high-quality titles”). The company says neither the service business nor DbD development will be affected by the layoffs.
It notes that the high level of competition in the gaming space has led it to narrow its focus on its core strengths, with the restructuring process leading to the layoffs. The company will concentrate on horror games and working with its development partners. It also claims it will “explore the possibilities of location-based entertainment,” without detailing what that means.
This is the second blow for Montreal’s gaming sector in as many days. On Monday, Just Cause creator Avalanche closed studios in the city and New York, laying off 50 people as a result. Avalanche had only opened the Montreal office in October after buying Monster Closet Games.
The gaming industry at large is in a state of turmoil. The estimated number of video game layoffs so far this year sits at 10,300, which is already nearing the 2023 total of around 10,500.
