Exclusive: Behavior Reveals All About Five Nights at Freddy's in Dead by Daylight

As Dead by Daylight gears up to celebrate its ninth anniversary, developer Behaviour Interactive is finally unveiling the long-awaited crossover that fans have been clamoring for: Five Nights at Freddy's. The new Chapter, featuring Scott Cawthon’s iconic animatronic horror series, is set to launch on June 17, promising a thrilling blend of both universes. This collaboration marks the end of a lengthy anticipation and the beginning of another year filled with exciting crossovers, quality-of-life enhancements, and more. We were fortunate to get an early glimpse of how this eagerly awaited Chapter is shaping up.

IGN had the opportunity to sit down with Dead by Daylight's Creative Director Dave Richard and Killer Designer Jason Guzzo just before the public test build (PTB) launch at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET today. They shared insights on how the latest collaboration captures the essence of Five Nights at Freddy's, from the character design to the gameplay mechanics. We delved into details about the new Killer, Springtrap, and how he uses elements like doors, cameras, and jump scares to instill fear in Survivors. Our conversation also touched on other potential horror icons Behaviour Interactive might bring into the game and the extensive research, including hours of watching Markiplier's content, that went into preparing for this update.

Nintendo Switch 2 enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that Behaviour Interactive has confirmed with IGN that they will address the startup issues on the device before the new console's launch on June 5. Additionally, the team explained their decision to forgo a new Survivor for this Chapter, hinting that this might not be the last we see of Freddy Fazbear in Dead by Daylight.

Springtrap comes to Dead by Daylight. Image provided by Behaviour Interactive.

IGN: Heading into the PTB, how are you feeling about how Springtrap looks and feels to play compared to other past Killers in previous PTBs?

Dave Richard: Jason will be able to answer that in more detail since he's the main designer on this. I'm excited and confident. We know this is the top-requested franchise and Killer, and it's been so for many years, so there's a bit of stress too. There's a lot of hype and expectations, but the team has done a fantastic job staying authentic and creating a very cool Five Nights at Freddy's experience within the Dead by Daylight framework.

Jason Guzzo: Dave summed it up well. I haven't been at Behaviour for 23 years like him, and this is my third Killer after Chucky and Dracula, so the stress is a bit higher for me. Being trusted with Five Nights at Freddy's in Dead by Daylight is awesome. It takes nearly a year to create a Killer, so it's thrilling to finally share what we've been working on and see how the community responds.

Just reading over some of the details I saw beforehand, this seems so authentic to Five Nights at Freddy's and what the gameplay is in that series, which I didn't expect. I didn't expect to see doors, cameras, and even jump scares. Were there discussions about playing as other animatronics, or was it always Springtrap the team had their eyes on?

Richard: It's hard to go into all the details of our discussions with partners. There were many iterations of what this Chapter could be, but we ended up with Springtrap, and it's great.

This is the first time players get to play a spring trap in a video game, which I'm sure for the Five Nights at Freddy's community is huge. Can you talk about what it's like creating original gameplay for this character with such a limited blueprint to base things off of?

Guzzo: That's a great question. The gameplay of Five Nights at Freddy's is drastically different from Dead by Daylight. Our goal was to capture the essence, the 'vibe,' of Five Nights at Freddy's. I watched about 70 hours of content, especially from Markiplier, to understand the game's feel and the community's reactions. It was about translating the single-player experience into a multiplayer context while keeping the horror elements intact.

Richard: Shoutout to Markiplier, indeed!

Guzzo: [Laughs] I'm now a fan of his. It was fascinating to see not just the gameplay but also the community's reactions. Five Nights at Freddy's lore is complex, and we wanted to incorporate what resonated most with players into Dead by Daylight.

When you watch people play live, you get a real sense of the community's engagement. We wanted to make sure the Chapter felt authentic and true to the spirit of Five Nights at Freddy's while fitting into Dead by Daylight's gameplay.

Richard: The announcement at PAX was incredible. The reaction from nearly 1000 people was so loud it shook the floor. It was an amazing moment.

It's super exciting and a big moment for everyone right now. I spoiled it a little bit, but can you guys give me more detail about what players can expect from Springtrap in the PTB, a little more specifically? How does your version of this Killer and that new map do the character justice?

Richard: Jason, that's all you. But first, I want to say that the team's challenge was to distill the essence of Five Nights at Freddy's into Dead by Daylight. We wanted to include jump scares, the feeling of being hunted, and surveillance. The door mechanic, which Jason came up with, was brilliant and added a lot to the experience.

Guzzo: Wow, thanks for the compliment, Dave! [laughs] Springtrap is primarily a projectile Killer with two main aspects to his power. The first is inspired by the Survivor's experience in Five Nights at Freddy's, where you manage the security office. We've introduced security doors around the map, each with a camera and a number. Survivors can interact with these doors, seeing through the cameras to decide if it's safe to teleport to the other side. It's a thematic experience, like a short theme park ride.

Springtrap wielding his pizza knife. Image provided by Behaviour Interactive.

The twist is that while it feels like a safe space, it's not. The Killer can enter these doors too, teleporting to any door and potentially grabbing a Survivor for a jump scare. The second part of Springtrap's power is his unique projectile, a fire axe with a distinct arc, designed for trick shots rather than sniping. If you hit a Survivor, you can grab them with a jump scare animation, skipping the usual pick-up step.

It's going to be really interesting to see Springtrap marry Five Nights at Freddy's into Dead by Daylight itself. When you guys were coming up with ideas for Springtrap, was the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy's 2 movie something the team had to keep in consideration? Was Behaviour able to pull any elements from that film or the first film when creating its version of its character?

Richard: No, we focused on the classic experience of the Five Nights at Freddy's games, especially the first titles, to recreate that nostalgia and bring it into Dead by Daylight's modern context. The movies didn't influence our design process.

So, at what point during conversations with Scott Cawthon, did you both say we've got to get Matthew Lillard in here for this?

Richard: It was actually Scott's suggestion. We discussed different outfits for Springtrap, and he recommended including the Yellow Rabbit from the movie. Having Matthew Lillard involved was fantastic; he brought the character to life in our game.

Guzzo: He's an icon, right?

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A horror icon in the game, portraying this massive character.

Richard: Yeah, if you squint... maybe you're Shaggy [laughs].

Moving over to a different topic now, I've seen some express disappointment that this next Chapter doesn't come with a Survivor. Can you talk about whether there were ever conversations about including a Survivor and why you ultimately chose not to include one this time around?

Richard: In our early discussions, including a Survivor was challenging and didn't fit perfectly with what we wanted to achieve. We understand the disappointment, but we focused on the first game's vibe where security is anyone, the player. However, Five Nights at Freddy's is vast, and we might have the chance to include a Survivor in the future.

Dead by Daylight will let players freely run and hide around Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant. Without spoilers, can you talk about some of the details in the map that you're proud of and excited to see players uncover in the PTB?

Richard: The map is truly amazing, faithfully recreated in Dead by Daylight's style. It's packed with surprises and hints about the Five Nights at Freddy's lore, including extra jump scares. We aimed to delight players with this level of detail.

I saw Behaviour mention in another interview that it took some time to make the Five Nights at Freddy's collaboration happen for so many different reasons. Part of what took so long involved a desire from both Cawthon and the Dead by Daylight team to establish what was important and how to please fans on both sides. Can you talk about what that process was like and which elements took the longest to nail down?

Richard: I can't go into the specifics of the process with our partners. But it's usually a collaborative effort to ensure authenticity and fan satisfaction.

This is the collaboration fans have wanted to see for so long. How do you feel about the reception so far, and what is it like for the team specifically to finally give this to players who have been asking for it?

Guzzo: It's amazing. There's always a bit of nervousness when you release something you've worked hard on, but we're excited to see how people explore it. As a designer, I want players to have fun moments they can share with friends. That's when I know we've succeeded.

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We've been waiting for this as much as the community has, and it's cool to finally bring it to them.

Richard: Every Chapter we work on is the most important at that moment. After Five Nights at Freddy's, there will be another top request. We're not done exploring new universes.

When did Five Nights at Freddy's first come up as a topic for you guys, where you said 'We'd love to have this in Dead by Daylight.'?

Richard: It's hard to pinpoint the exact year, but I learned about Five Nights at Freddy's through Markiplier's videos. That sparked my interest, and when the community started asking for it, it solidified our desire to bring it into Dead by Daylight.

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Is there a crossover that members of the Dead by Daylight team would love to see happen? No restraints.

Richard: Pennywise would be amazing, and there are other classic horror icons we'd love to include. I want to collect them all, like Pokémon [laughs].

Guzzo: My dream is to bring The Thing into Dead by Daylight. It's a challenging concept, but I'm on a crusade to make it happen. Every Chapter has been a dream, but The Thing is my ultimate goal.

Richard: Cujo and Christine are also fun ideas we've discussed.

A popular theory floating around about an upcoming Chapter involves some faded letters on a recent roadmap you published. Have you seen this theory floating around, and is there any chance we could get you to comment on it?

Richard: I haven't seen it. I don't know what you're talking about.

Is there anything else you'd like to add about the upcoming PTB, Five Nights at Freddy's, or the future of Dead by Daylight?

Richard: So many things. Jason, I'll let you start.

Guzzo: We love this game and the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. We want fans to feel welcome and understand that while this Chapter might not be what they expected, it comes from a place of love and respect. We aimed to be authentic to the franchise while offering a new experience in Dead by Daylight. I hope everyone enjoys playing it as much as I enjoyed working on it.

Richard: Good stuff.