Dead by Daylight is bigger than FIFA and CoD on Twitch

As we come back around to Halloween, horror games are going to be all the more popular. In the case of Dead by Daylight, however, it’s been growing in popularity no matter the season. It’s an opportunity to look at the horror genre on Twitch, and examine why, despite their gory nature, they’re highly viewed.

Sometimes all you need is a little data to show you how excellently a game is doing. In an interview with Dead by Daylight’s developers on The Loadout the team reveals that Dead by Daylight views are the 19th highest over the past 30 days on Twitch. This beats bigger more well-known games like FIFA 20 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, when it wasn’t even the month of spook. The game has been out for several years now, these really aren’t numbers to be sniffed at.

So why is it that this Canadian indie game is so popular? Not just popular, but watchable? In an interview, Dead by Daylight streamer Cahlaflour gives some insight into why she thinks that horror is suited to a live audience platform.

‘Horror games are incredible for streaming because they give constant feedback to the viewer and the streamer,’ she tells The Loadout. ‘You’re constantly being given things to react to and feed off. You can get the audience into the atmosphere of the game, hype them up and share in the scares together.’

And you know what? She’s probably right. As an asymmetrical four versus one game, Dead by Daylight more often gives the player, or in a streaming situation, the viewer, a victim’s third-person perspective. You’re right there with the character being hunted in a way that’s not entirely distant from a film. Alternatively you can play as the killer, which is in first person. You get the exciting job of hunting down other players, in a more personal state, scratching that murderous itch we all get once in a while.

Above all the audience is right there with the streamer no matter the situation. Sharing in their scares, hammering down advice in the chat, and getting the heebie jeebies just as their host does. It doesn’t take just a seasonal event for that to be appealing.