Chucky is officially coming to Dead by Daylight, marking the arrival of another legendary horror character to the roster, and he’s officially the first Killer to feature a third-person camera.
It’s been a long time coming, and we know The Good Guy has been among the most requested characters from our community. Understandably so – he is an iconic killer, and Dead by Daylight’s roots derive from the slasher genre. Despite the demand, there were challenges in bringing Chucky to The Fog, primarily due to size-related challenges with both the first-person camera and core mechanics like Hooking Survivors.
Fortunately, Dead by Daylight’s Killer design team in collaboration with Universal Products & Experiences were determined to find a way.
SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING
Being that he’s a killer doll, Chucky’s size is considerably smaller than other Killers, which made the act of Hooking a bit tricker than expected. How’s the Good Guy supposed to put Survivors on the Hook? And with many obstacles standing taller than Chucky’s height, the first-person camera would make it exceptionally difficult to track Survivors mid-chase.
We’ve always known players wanted to see Chucky in The Fog – he's a horror legend, after all – but the size issue was always believed to be an insurmountable hurdle. Or so we thought...
Enter an interesting design question: what if we gave the Killer a third-person camera?
The solution certainly made sense. While there is precedent for a shorter character in The Twins’ Victor, it was clear that using a first-person camera for Chucky would open the door to numerous balance complications. For instance, a taller Killer can see Survivors over waist-high loops, whereas Chucky would not. Not only that, playing entire Trials at such a low camera angle sounded like an unpleasant and dizzying experience.
“The primary challenge was visibility. We needed to ensure players could see enough to play comfortably, unimpeded by tall grass or lower obstacles. At the same time, we had to make sure he didn’t have drastically better situational awareness than the other Killers. We spent an inordinate amount of time tweaking the camera values to find the ideal balance.” - Jason Guzzo, Game Designer
Once it was decided that we would feature a third-person camera for Chucky, the Killer Design team got to work. “The primary challenge was visibility,” notes Jason Guzzo, Game Designer. “We needed to ensure players could see enough to play comfortably, unimpeded by tall grass or lower obstacles. At the same time, we had to make sure he didn’t have drastically better situational awareness than the other Killers. We spent an inordinate amount of time tweaking the camera values to find the ideal balance.”
“From there, every decision had to consider the third-person camera, as that was on the table right from the start,” he continues. “Once playtesting began, we had to split our attention between ensuring the gameplay felt in line with the Chucky character, while also ensuring the camera was as polished as possible.”
As far as Hooking, carrying, and interrupting Survivors, the teams ultimately decided that the spirit of Charles Lee Ray – in his human form – would be able to handle those duties.
CHANNELING CHUCKY
With the camera settled, how did the design team ensure that Chucky’s gameplay remained true to his character?
“For starters, I watched the movies and TV series,” reflects Guzzo. “I'd seen most of it before, but it was a great excuse to revisit and take a lot of notes. From there, with the team at Universal Products and Experiences, we established the experience pillars which are things the player should feel when playing as or against the Killer.
While Chucky is certainly brutal, racking up a considerable kill count throughout the course of the films and TV series, he’s also undeniably hilarious. Intimidating and crude to be sure – but so damn funny. It was integral to capture the darkly comedic element of his character, which demanded the vocal talents of Brad Dourif, who is the original voice actor for the foul-mouthed doll.
“Having Chucky enter The Fog after fans have been asking for years is something to behold,” says John Melchior, Executive Producer of Universal Games and Digital Platforms. “We were honored to bring back the original voice actors for Chucky and Tiffany to elevate the authenticity for fans of the infamous killer doll.”
While reprising his role in Dead by Daylight, Dourif recorded new original lines that are sure to get the blood pumping.
The results speak for themselves. Chucky is an incredibly unique Killer that will place players in the third person for the first time ever, granting a new perspective on tracking down, chasing, and terrorizing Survivors. If that sounds up your alley, you might have just met your next best friend ‘till the end.
Chucky Franchise © 2023 Universal City Studios LLC. Seed of Chucky © Focus Features LLC. Chucky © Universal Content Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
