Dead by Daylight developers have issued an apology following an incident where a team member gifted downloadable content, in-game currency, and items to a streamer known as TheBurntPeanut without a formal sponsorship. The value of the gifted content reportedly exceeded $300 USD.
Initially, the developer responded to TheBurntPeanut's offer to return the items by stating, "We can take the heat. They are yours to keep." This response, however, quickly drew criticism from the Dead by Daylight community, who expressed concerns about the perceived discrepancy between this action and the game's stated values.
Shortly after the stream, the gifted content was revoked. A statement from the official Dead by Daylight social media account confirmed, "we have already removed the content that was granted to the creator." The developers acknowledged that the situation was mishandled, particularly the failure to properly vet the streamer's past content and ensure alignment with the community's expectations of inclusion and respect. They admitted that this vetting process was not taken into consideration or discussed as a group when deciding to collaborate with the creator.
In a follow-up statement, the developers elaborated on their core principles, emphasizing respect, transparency, diversity, and creating a welcoming environment for players from various backgrounds. They stated that when they partner with a creator, they want to ensure that creator's words and actions support these principles.
To prevent similar incidents, Dead by Daylight has committed to updating their request and approval methods for collaborations. This will ensure that any future spokesperson for the game properly represents the team and its values. The developers stated that going forward, more thorough reviews of creator content will be conducted before any collaborations are finalized.