Behaviour Interactive
Quebec City, 1992. A small team gathered to launch Megatoon, a video game development studio that would eventually become Behaviour Interactive. Two years later, Rémi Racine co-founded Multimedia Interactive in Montreal to create software for CD-ROM technology. Both companies were sold to Malofilm Communications in 1996 and merged into Behaviour Interactive the following year with Racine as general manager. The studio released Jersey Devil on PlayStation and Windows in 1997, marking the first console game made entirely in Quebec. Infogrames Entertainment approached Behaviour after seeing Jersey Devil, leading to Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time in 1999. In 1999, Racine and investors bought the studio back but had to rename it Artificial Mind & Movement Inc. by 2000. As A2M, the studio produced work-for-hire projects for major clients including Konami, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Disney Interactive Studios, Nintendo, EA, and Activision. The company acquired Santiago-based Wanako Games from Activision Blizzard in November 2008, becoming the largest South American game studio at the time. Original titles like Scaler (2004), Wet (2009), and Naughty Bear (2010) followed, with Naughty Bear selling over 800,000 console units. On the 8th of November 2010, Artificial Mind & Movement announced its return to the name Behaviour Interactive due to increased original title production and an obscene interpretation of the initialism "A2M".
In 2016, Behaviour released Dead by Daylight, a multiplayer survival action horror game published by Sweden's Starbreeze. The game sold more than 1 million copies within its first two months. By 2022, the title had accumulated over 50 million players worldwide. In 2018, Behaviour purchased the game's publishing rights from Starbreeze for US$16 million. Thanks largely to this success, revenues grew from CAD $25 million in 2015 to CAD $225 million in 2021. The franchise expanded with Hooked on You, a dating sim spinoff released in summer 2022, alongside Flippin Misfits, a melee brawler. Both games were revealed during the first Behaviour Beyond showcase broadcast in August 2022. A film based on Dead by Daylight entered development in March 2023, co-produced by Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster, and Striker Entertainment. By November 2023, Dead by Daylight surpassed the 60-million player milestone. The studio also announced Silent Hill: Ascension in 2023-2024 as a web browser and mobile experience developed with Genvid Entertainment.
In April 2022, Behaviour Interactive opened a new office in Toronto. That same month, it acquired Seattle-based Midwinter Entertainment. During summer 2022, the company released Hooked on You and Flippin Misfits while announcing Meet Your Maker at its Behaviour Beyond showcase. In February 2023, Behaviour acquired UK-based SockMonkey Studios, renaming it Behaviour UK , North. July 2023 saw the opening of a second UK studio in Truro, Cornwall, called Behaviour UK , South. August 2023 brought the acquisition of Netherlands-based Codeglue, which became Behaviour Rotterdam. In March 2024, Behaviour purchased Fly Studio, an award-winning multimedia experience designer from Montreal to consolidate its position in location-based entertainment (LBE). Immersive Entertainment replaced the studio's Business Solutions unit according to its website. the 18th of September 2024 marked the closure of Midwinter and cancellation of Project T, a Dead by Daylight spinoff. The studio also acquired Red Hook Studios, developers of Darkest Dungeon and its sequel, in September 2024, allowing Red Hook to continue as an independent entity under Behaviour.
Behaviour Interactive made headlines as one of the first video game studios to abolish crunch time, a controversial industry practice requiring employees to work extended unpaid hours for project milestones. This policy earned the company designation as one of Canada's Best Workplaces by gamesindustry.biz in 2018, 2021, and 2022. Despite this progressive stance, January 2024 saw Behaviour lay off 45 employees from its Montreal location, representing less than 3% of total workforce. April 2024 announced another partnership with Scandinavian developer Haenir Studio for Blight: Survival, followed by layoffs of 95 additional employees, 70 based in Montreal. These actions occurred alongside strategic acquisitions and expansions, creating tension between workplace culture achievements and operational adjustments. The studio maintains two business units: Services providing work-for-hire development for major brands like Disney, Sony, Activision, Warner Bros. Discovery, Ubisoft, HBO, and Nintendo, plus an Immersive Entertainment vertical focused on LBE. Original Games unit produces Behaviour's own IP including Dead by Daylight.
On the 21st of June 2018, Bethesda Softworks sued Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Behaviour Interactive over Westworld, a mobile game based on the science fiction television series Westworld. Bethesda alleged the game was a "blatant rip-off" of Fallout Shelter, another mobile title co-developed by Behaviour. A suit filed in United States District Court for the District of Maryland claimed Westworld had identical or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features, and gameplay elements to Fallout Shelter. The lawsuit also accused Behaviour of identically reproducing software bugs originally present in Fallout Shelter. Claims included copyright infringement, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets, seeking a jury trial and damages. The legal dispute concluded with a friendly settlement reached in January 2019. This controversy occurred while Behaviour continued developing original titles alongside its extensive work-for-hire portfolio serving clients across entertainment industries.
Behaviour's next major original release, Meet Your Maker, launched in April 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One, Series X/S platforms. The game was described as a post-apocalyptic first-person building-and-raiding experience where every level is designed by players for other players. In May 2023, Concordia University in Montreal established a new Behaviour-funded research chair in video game design within its Department of Design and Computation Arts. Behaviour committed $2 million over ten years to support this academic initiative. Partnerships expanded beyond traditional survival horror genres through collaborations like Haenir Studio's Blight: Survival announced in April 2024. The studio also developed What the Fog, released in 2024 on Steam, and The Casting of Frank Stone, scheduled for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, published by Supermassive Games. These projects demonstrate Behaviour's evolution from early work-for-hire contracts to diverse original IP development spanning multiple genres and platforms.
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Common questions
When was Behaviour Interactive founded and where?
Behaviour Interactive originated in Quebec City in 1992 as a studio named Megatoon. The company officially adopted the name Behaviour Interactive after merging with Multimedia Interactive in 1997.
What is the history of Dead by Daylight sales for Behaviour Interactive?
Dead by Daylight sold more than 1 million copies within its first two months after release in 2016. By November 2023, the title had surpassed the 60-million player milestone worldwide.
Which studios did Behaviour Interactive acquire in 2024?
In September 2024, Behaviour acquired Red Hook Studios, developers of Darkest Dungeon. Earlier that month on the 18th of September 2024, the studio closed Midwinter Entertainment and cancelled Project T.
Why did Behaviour Interactive abolish crunch time policies?
Behaviour Interactive became one of the first video game studios to abolish crunch time to improve employee working conditions. This policy earned the company designation as one of Canada's Best Workplaces by gamesindustry.biz in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
How much money did Behaviour Interactive commit to Concordia University research chair?
Concordia University established a new Behaviour-funded research chair in video game design in May 2023. Behaviour committed $2 million over ten years to support this academic initiative.