Who would’ve thought that the simple act of doubling the amount of killers and survivors in a Dead by Daylight match would prove such a hit? Well, obviously developer Behaviour Interactive did, otherwise it wouldn’t have spent so much time and effort implementing it. The 2v8 mode has taken the game by storm in the two weeks it’s been running and now, just before it was meant to end, a sudden extension has dropped out of nowhere.
The reasoning is simple – the mode is super popular, so keep it going for a bit longer. According to the developer, 40% of all Dead by Daylight matches in the last couple of weeks have been 2v8 games, which is a pretty big number for an alternate mode. No data has been released for previous twists on the formula for the multiplayer game like Chaos Shuffle or Lights Out, so for Behaviour Interactive to announce this you have to assume that it’s a remarkable figure.
That’s not to say it’s all sunshine and roses for the mode, as the queue times are a problem for many right now. Currently if you’re wanting to play as one of the two killers in a match you’re looking at a wait of up to 20 minutes. While that’s indicative of how popular playing killer in this mode is – on the other side, the wait time for survivors is seconds – it does show there needs to be a change if 2v8 is to be sustainable in the future. Thankfully, the developer is aware of this and previously implemented a 400% bloodpoint bonus to get people to play survivor, though that was only a temporary measure and at the time of writing is no longer available.
While the mode is proving popular, Behaviour won’t be making it permanent. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, it states that this is only the first iteration of 2v8 and while it will be returning, there will be changes. Other killers will be made available for a start, and the developer also promises to implement a “more compelling survivor experience” in the future to encourage more to play prey rather than predator.
Coming off the back of the recent DBD Castlevania update reveal and the glimpse into 2025 with the Five Nights at Freddy’s collaboration, things are looking very busy indeed for Dead by Daylight. There’s plenty more to come too, with more unannounced killers and survivors yet to be revealed over the rest of this year.
The Dead by Daylight 2v8 mode is extended until Thursday August 15 and you can learn more over on Steam.
Should you want a little something for nothing, you can grab free stuff with our list of all current DBD codes. You can also take a peek at which of the game’s roster of monsters are fiercest with our comprehensive DBD killer tier list.
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