Dead by Daylight removes TheBurntPeanut’s free DLC following backlash

Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has removed the free content gifted to Twitch streamer TheBurntPeanut, admitting its handling of the controversy has “broken trust” with the community.

On October 30, Twitch streamer TheBurntPeanut was granted access to all Dead by Daylight’s DLC characters and perks during a livestream. The move sparked controversy in the community, with many fans raising concerns about the decision. 

After an initial response on November 1, the devs have published a longer statement through the official Dead by Daylight X account, confirming the content had been removed and outlining changes to how it works with creators.

DbD admits it “moved too fast” with streamer gifts

According to the November 3 statement, members of the team noticed a large audience watching a streamer who had not played Dead by Daylight before and saw an opportunity to welcome new players.

However, the decision to grant content and participate in the streamer’s chat happened without the usual team discussions or checks.

“When collaborating with a new creator, we normally look thoroughly at their past content to determine whether they are representing the values of inclusion our community expects from us,” Behaviour explained. “In this case, this was not taken into proper consideration or discussed as a group.”

Behaviour also addressed its official account’s response after the streamer offered to return the content, saying its “WE CAN TAKE THE HEAT!” message had escalated the situation.

“This message, along with some others in that session, showed a disregard for the context we were suddenly in and crossed the line of appropriate responses from our brand,” the statement continued. “That reply escalated the situation for us and for our community, especially our content creators on the frontlines of these conversations, and that’s unacceptable.”

https://twitter.com/DeadbyDaylight/status/2117428028758237386?a=ZSDEYDjJrvKlNgMDHUc&s=20

The developer confirmed it had already removed the gifted content and was rewriting its guidelines for interacting with creators, including deciding who on the team can authorize these decisions.

These updated guidelines will focus on identifying creators whose past conduct conflicts with the inclusive community Behaviour says it wants to build. Approval procedures for granting content and currency will also be updated, alongside staff training and communication standards.

Addressing questions about the employees involved, Behaviour said it was “taking appropriate action internally,” but would not share further details because the matter is confidential. 

“This incident has broken trust with our community, who hold expectations and regard for the types of people we partner with, but more importantly, expectations of the conduct and actions taken by our team in our daily work within this community,” explained the devs. 

“We understand it will be a slow road to regain that trust, but we are committed to doing the work necessary to get there.”