Summary
Released back in 2016,Dead by Daylightis still, by all accounts, thriving. Though a slew of asymmetrical multiplayer horror games have tried to knock it off its pedestal,Dead by Daylightremains at the top over seven years after its initial release, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. One of the biggest contributing factors toDead by Daylight’s ongoing success is its constant influx of new content, delivered as paid DLC “Chapters.” While these Chapters have mainly focused on original characters, they’ve also been home to a number of pop-culture crossovers, most of which have knocked it out of the park.
One of the more recent large-scaleDead by Daylightcrossovers was with theAlienfranchise, and Behaviour Interactive’s passion for the license was clear, giving fans a new playable Survivor, Killer, and a whole new map, all filled to the brim with references to the source material.Dead by Daylighthas also justbrought back itsStranger ThingsChapter, which fans have been pleading for since its removal back in 2021. These crossovers tend to getDead by Daylighta lot of publicity, but in the case of its most recent collaboration, a few eyebrows have been raised, withDead by Daylightcrossing over with an old 2010 cult hit that deserves some sort of revival.
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The latestDead by Daylightsees it crossing over with 2010’sNaughty Bear. Available from the in-game shop,Dead by Daylight’sNaughty Bearcollectionadds a new Visceral Legendary skin for the Trapper that makes him look like the titular 2010 playable character, dressing him up like a big brown teddy bear with a chunk missing out of his ear, and stitches all across his body and face. This collection also gives the Trapper Naughty Bear’s machete. But by far the most unique element of thisDead by DaylightxNaughty Bearcrossover is the inclusion of a narrator who occasionally chimes in during a match to provide commentary inside Naughty Bear’s head.
Ashley Pannell, the person behind the eccentric voiceover in bothNaughty Bearand its crossoverDead by DaylightDLC is actually one ofDead by Daylight’s two game directors and was a designer on the originalNaughty Bear.
Why Naughty Bear Should Get a Remake
While thismost recentDead by Daylightcrossovermay seem like it’s come out of nowhere, it actually makes quite a bit of sense as Behaviour Interactive - under the previous banner of Artificial Mind and Movement - developedNaughty Bearas well. But that isn’t the only reason thisNaughty BearxDead by Daylightcollaboration has raised eyebrows among fans.
WhenNaughty Bear wasfirst released 13 years ago, it was critically panned across the board, with reviews absolutely condemning the game for its half-baked slasher premise, confusing and clunky controls, and repetitive gameplay.Naughty Bearcurrently sits at a 43 on Metacriticfor both its Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Naturally, this has led toNaughty Bearbeing almost entirely forgotten about over the last decade, seemingly by everyone but Behaviour, who clearly still has some love for its past project.
WhileNaughty Bearwasn’t a good game, critics may have been a bit overly harsh at the time. Though the premise of a stuffed animal losing its mind and going on a killing streak still isn’t too novel, it could be reworked into something special if Behaviour was willing to really take everything back to the drawing board and give it another go. With some better writing and refined gameplay,Naughty Bearcould definitely find a spot in the current gaming market, especially in apost-DeadpoolandRick and Mortyworld. And now thatNaughty Bearhas been brought back into the zeitgeist, it might be time for a full remake of the 2010 game.
