After recently cancelling the Dead by Daylight spin-off Project T, Behaviour Interactive has announced the acquisition of Red Hook Studios. The latter is famous for the Darkest Dungeon series, with both titles selling over seven million copies.
Remi Racine, Behaviour Interactive CEO and co-founder, said in a press release, “It’s a privilege to welcome a developer of Red Hook’s caliber. Earlier this year, we established an ambitious goal for our future as a publisher – to make Behaviour synonymous with horror and surround Dead by Daylight with a library of similarly exceptional horror games.
“Our acquisition of Red Hook is another emphatic step towards this objective, with more to come.” This seems to imply that other studios specializing in horror titles could be up for acquisition.
Red Hook Studios co-founder Chris Bourassa said, “We’ve found kindred spirits in the Behaviour team. Both studios are Canadian, independent, and devoted to fantastic horror games. Where we differ is scale, which opens the door to new possibilities. Behaviour’s support will help us pursue our vision for Red Hook’s future and focus fully on transforming Darkest Dungeon into an absolute juggernaut of the dark fantasy genre.”
Studio co-founder Tyler Sigman added, “Joining forces with Behaviour is exciting on multiple levels. They have demonstrated a commitment to allowing our team to continue developing Darkest Dungeon in the manner we know best but with the benefit of their considerable knowledge and resources. We are stronger together than apart. Critically, there is a shared love of Darkest Dungeon, and with Behaviour’s help, we can delve even deeper into the franchise.”
How this will affect the direction of the Darkest Dungeon franchise remains to be seen. However, Red Hook Studios will remain independent while operating under Behaviour Interactive’s purview.
In the meantime, the developer is working on Kingdoms, a free new standalone campaign for Darkest Dungeon 2. It releases in three modules, with the first, Hunger of the Beast Clan, out in Q4 2024. There will also be a new paid DLC, Inhuman Bondage, which adds a new region, enemies, and hero with unique Trinkets, palettes, and much more. Head here for more details.