Dead by Daylight’s Alan Wake 2 Crossover is Perfectly Timed

Highlights

• Dead by Daylight has managed to surpass the success of 2023 with its new Alan Wake crossover DLC, which is being praised as one of the game’s best decisions.
• The timing of the Alan Wake crossover is impeccable, capitalizing on the popularity of the Alan Wake brand following the release of the highly anticipated Alan Wake 2.
• Alan Wake is a perfect addition to Dead by Daylight, with his in-game abilities centered around harnessing light and his Survivor Perks reflecting this theme. The crossover has the potential to attract a whole new audience to the multiplayer game.

It was always going to be a difficult job to try and outdo an excellent 2023, but somehow Dead by Daylight has managed it already. Last year saw the long-running horror multiplayer game receive another four DLC packs, and of those, two were major horror franchise crossovers. And as if the Alien and Child’s Play crossovers weren’t enough, Dead by Daylight also finally brought back its long-missed Stranger Things DLC. So, naturally, 2024 was always going to be an uphill battle for Dead by Daylight.

But today, Dead by Daylight has made its first big step into 2024, and it’s already being heralded as one of the game’s best decisions. Just announced, Alan Wake 2‘s titular paranatural writer will be heading to Dead by Daylight as a DLC Survivor on January 30. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, this Dead by Daylight x Alan Wake 2 crossover is a dream come true for fans of both franchises, and it’s come at the perfect time, both for Dead by Daylight and for Alan Wake.

Dead by Daylight’s Alan Wake Crossover Has Impeccable Timing

Alan Wake 2 Is Still In the Zeitgeist

While Fortnite tends to time its crossovers expertly, with most collab skins dropping around the same time as a new season of a TV show or a new video game release, Dead by Daylight has never really been that intuitive. With most of its crossovers being from decades-old franchises, Dead by Daylight hasn’t really had the opportunity to capitalize on a big cross-brand event, but this new Alan Wake crossover DLC is an exception.

Right now, the Alan Wake brand is more popular than it ever has been before. Originally debuting back in 2010, the first Alan Wake was a third-person action/adventure game with psychological thriller elements. Much like a handful of Remedy’s other experimental projects, Alan Wake didn’t review too well at the time, but managed to gain a cult following in the years following its release. While Alan Wake 2 was a sequel that fans had been asking for for over a decade, the general public anticipation for the game wasn’t too high. That is, until Alan Wake 2 released.

Launching back in October 2023, Alan Wake 2 quickly became the talk of the town, receiving stellar reviews pretty much across the board. It took no time at all for Alan Wake 2‘s merits to reach the wider gaming world, bringing in more fans than the series had ever had before. Despite being three months on since Alan Wake 2‘s release, the game is still very much on people’s minds, with it receiving a ton of trophies at the Game Awards at the end of the year, and a bunch of fans just getting around to it now as part of their Winter gaming backlog.

The hype surrounding Alan Wake 2 is still very much there, and Dead by Daylight has made a smart decision by capitalizing on that right now, potentially bringing in a whole new audience who have never tried the multiplayer game before.

Alan Wake is a Perfect Addition to Dead by Daylight

A survivor in every sense of the word, Alan Wake is a natural fit for Dead by Daylight. While Alan Wake won’t be available to buy until January 30, Behaviour Interactive has announced the Survivor’s Perks, all of which are cleverly themed around the character’s in-game abilities. As fans would expect, many of Alan Wake’s Dead by Daylight Perks center around his ability to harness light, such as his Perk “Champion of Light,” which gives the Survivor 50% Haste while holding a flashlight, and causes the Hindered status effect on a Killer after blinding them.

It’s also been leaked that Alan Wake will receive two additional in-game skins, with one allegedly being Rose Marigold.