Video Games
Behaviour Interactive Details Jason’s Arrival in ‘Dead by Daylight’
After the big reveal over the weekend, Behaviour Interactive has delved into the details for Jason Voorhees‘ upcoming addition to Dead by Daylight. For starters, Jason’s gameplay delivers a blend of stealth, scares and brutality for players looking to embody the relentless force and power that have defined the character’s 45-year legacy.
“There was never a question that our 10th Anniversary Chapter couldn’t just be big – it needed to be something really special,” says Behaviour Interactive Senior Creative Director, Dave Richard. “When we started to see a path to finally making this partnership a reality for our 10th, we knew then the perfect Jason moment had come. We’re just thrilled the stars aligned and we were able to work with the great folks at Jason Universe to deliver this for our players on such a major milestone for Dead by Daylight.”
As we already know from the weekend trailer, Jason, known in the game as The Slasher, will be arriving in Dead by Daylight on June 16. Prior to that, he’ll available on May 26 as part of the Steam public test build.
As for Jason’s abilities, his Power is split into two distinct components, the first being Omnipresent Evil—a stealth-based ability that encapsulates the Killer’s knack for popping up in unexpected places to catch his victims off guard. Activating Omnipresent Evil causes Jason to vanish from the Map entirely, allowing him to move at increased speed while giving Survivors zero clues as to his whereabouts. While invisible, Jason can track his prey through faint visual cues like footsteps.
To reappear, Jason targets key environmental points such as Pallets, Vault points, and breakable walls—bursting back into action with explosive force. For added effect, these sudden appearances can destroy breakable obstacles around him and trigger screams from nearby prey. Survivors will have to contend with the tension that comes from suddenly losing track of Jason, and knowing a vicious attack could be waiting.
The second half of Jason’s Power taps into his signature creativity when it comes to kills, utilizing the items available in his environment. Scattered throughout the Map are containers filled with makeshift projectiles—fragments of Lockers, broken Generator parts, shattered Pallets, even Hooks.
Jason can pick up and throw these items with devastating force. Unlike other ranged Killers, each projectile must be gathered individually and will only be replenished the next time Jason enters Omnipresent Evil, adding a layer of strategy to their use.
A successful hit will stagger Survivors, but under the right conditions, Jason can also score some welcome style points. If an injured Survivor is struck near a wall, they’ll be pinned in place—left helpless and suspended until Jason strides up to claim them.
Launching alongside the Chapter is the Jason Collection, featuring a range of Outfits that pay homage to his legacy while being reimagined in ways only The Fog could shape. Jason’s default Outfit presents the unmistakable icon from Jason Universe, originally designed by horror legend Greg Nicotero: a 13-holed hockey mask, machete, and weather-beaten clothing worn through countless kills.
Additional outfits include Backwoods Terror, which trades Jason’s jacket for flannel and suspenders, and his machete for a heavy axe. Death Forsaken offers a more grotesque incarnation with decayed features, exposed bone, and a shovel in hand. Lastly, Jason’s Depths of Despair Outfit sees him emerging from the depths; a vision of terror covered head-to-toe in barnacles, coral, and seaweed.
Dead by Daylight: Jason will be available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch.
Kinetic Games has followed through with the 13 Willow Street map rework for Phasmophobia today, which is free across all platforms. Accompanying the map rework is the first of two major quality-of-life updates bringing hundreds of bug fixes and helping refine the gameplay experience.
Ghost hunters can prepare for a refreshed investigation experience with the reworked Willow map, adding a host of new paranormal interactions, objects, and hiding spaces. As with the most recent overhaul to 6 Tanglewood Drive, Willow retains an almost identical layout but features redesigned rooms, including a reconfigured basement layout, bringing the gameplay experience up to the team’s current development standards.
The reworked rooms include an art studio, home gym and entertainment room, replacing the bedroom, garage and basement previously featured in the haunted house. Alongside these visual updates, curious players will be able to uncover new lore hidden throughout Willow, piecing together a story waiting to be discovered.
“As part of the 13 Willow Street rework we’re continuing our approach to storytelling in Phasmophobia and developing the game’s narrative,” said Anastatia Dukakis, Senior Narrative Designer at Kinetic Games. “It’s always exciting to see the community make new discoveries together and we love seeing everyone share their theories and thoughts on the lore behind in-game locations.”
Players will also be tasked to correctly identify (and survive) 50 ghosts as part of map’s challenge, awarding the Sun Seeker ID set upon completion. Players can also unlock the Cool Cat ID card and badge for the first week after launch, by watching 2 hours of Phasmophobia streams.
Meanwhile, the major update accompanying the map rework is inspired by community feedback following the Player Character Update, and reflects Kinetic Games’ ongoing commitment to delivering the level of quality players expect before Phasmophobia leaves Early Access.
The update introduces a range of changes helping to refine the gameplay experience with refreshed animations allowing for smoother and quicker movements, and changes to evidence collection for a more seamless experience, and ghost hunters might also face a new presence lurking in the shadows…
New keybinds have also been added with players now able to use 1,2,3 and 4 for changing inventory slots alongside wider accessibility tweaks. For an overview of all the fixes landing in-game, you can check out the blog post here.
Phasmophobia is available in Early Access on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2, and the Xbox Series.
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