Dead by Daylight’s D&D, Lara Croft DLCs Have Opened The Floodgates For One Type of Content

Just five months after its initial launch, Dead by Daylight received its very first crossover. The second Chapter in the game’s lengthy history, Dead by Daylight‘s first crossover saw Halloween‘s Michael Myers come to the asymmetrical horror title, setting a high bar for any future collaboration. Rather than shy away from the challenge, Dead by Daylight has continued to raise that bar, delivering entire Chapters filled with new crossover Survivors, Killers, and maps, all of which have felt like natural fits for Dead by Daylight‘s horror atmosphere.

Today, Dead by Daylight seems to be entering a new era with its collaborations. The two most recent Dead by Daylight crossovers have taken a slight departure from the type of collaboration the horror game is typically known for, bringing Dungeons and Dragons‘ Vecna and Tomb Raider‘s Lara Croft to the Trials, both of whom could open the floodgates for a new type of Dead by Daylight crossover.

Dead by Daylight Could Dip Its Toes Into Non-Horror Crossovers

Dead by Daylight’s Vecna and Lara Croft Could Pave the Way for Non-Horror Crossovers

In a tabletop RPG like Dungeons and Dragons, the DM has complete creative freedom in how they implement certain monsters or official characters. That being said, the iconic D&D villain Vecna is often used by DMs who are looking to create a more horror-themed campaign, with his Lich abilities allowing him to defy death and conjure up all manner of spooky magical threats. That being said, on the whole, Dungeons and Dragons probably wouldn’t be classed as a horror franchise, so Vecna’s appearance in Dead by Daylight does mark a distinct shift for the game.

Up until Vecna’s addition to Dead by Daylight back in June, the game’s crossovers had focused solely on horror properties, from movies like Saw and Hellraiser, to shows like Stranger Things, to fellow horror games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and more recently, Alan Wake. But Vecna isn’t the only non-horror crossover to grace Dead by Daylight in recent months.

Already available in the public test build, Tomb Raider‘s Lara Croft will be officially added to Dead by Daylight as a Survivor on July 16, 2024. Though this version of Lara Croft does resemble her appearance in the Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy, which leans into some brief moments of psychological horror, she’s far from a horror icon, and Tomb Raider is far from a horror franchise. It’s possible that Vecna and Lara Croft have just swung the door wide open for more non-horror crossovers in Dead by Daylight, and there’s no shortage of ideas for future collabs.

Non-Horror Crossovers That Should Come to Dead by Daylight

Though Vecna and Lara Croft may have paved the way for more non-horror Dead by Daylight crossovers, any future non-horror collabs would still need to fit the game’s darker tone and visual style. With this in mind, a Batman x Dead by Daylight crossover could work surprisingly well. Though Batman might be a little tricky to balance as a Survivor, the Joker would be a great pick for a Dead by Daylight crossover Killer, with Mortal Kombat 11 proving that a darker video game adaptation of the character can work very well. On the opposite side of the comic book fence, Marvel’s Venom would be another great choice for a potential Dead by Daylight Killer, with there being plenty of R-rated depictions of the anti-hero/villain already.

Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game in which one player takes on the role of a Killer and the others play as “Survivors.” The Killer must hunt the Survivors, while the Survivors must escape.

Released

June 14, 2016

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

How Long To Beat

N/A

X|S Enhanced

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

63 GB (November 2023)

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

Number of Players

5

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium

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