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Behaviour Interactive acquires Darkest Dungeon dev Red Hook Studios (after shutting down Midwinter Entertainment)

Days after shutting down Midwinter's 'Project T' and closing the studio, Behaviour Interactive...has gone and acquired another studio.

2 Min Read
Key art for Darkest Dungeon. Four dark fantasy characters stand in the lanternlight.
Image via Red Hook Studios/Behaviour Interactive.

Days after shuttering Midwinter Entertainment and canceling "Project T," Behaviour Interactive has acquired Red Hook Games, makers of the Darkest Dungeon series.

While it'll be working with the Dead by Daylight studio going forward, Red Hook will stay in creative and operational control of its projects.

This news may come as puzzling to some developers, particularly those formerly of Midwinter, which Behaviour shut down last week. It's rare that a game studio closes down one office before acquiring another.

Behaviour Interactive co-founder Rémi Racine said in a statement that the acquisition is part of the company's goal of becoming "synonymous with horror," and to "surround Dead by Daylight with a library of similarly exceptional horror games." Chief product and technology officer Stephen Mulrooney called the Darkest Dungeon series a "natural compliment" to Dead by Daylight, praising both series for offering "deep, innovative gameplay and original, eldritch worlds."

Red Hook Studios co-founders Chris Bourassa and Tyler Sigman expressed optimism for what the move means for Red Hook's future (despite the announcement coming on the heels of a studio closure). "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," Bourassa said.

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Sigman said that Behaviour has committed to letting Red Hook continue developing the Darkest Dungeon games "in a manner we know best," backed by the publisher's knowledge and resources.

Behaviour and Red Hook's stories so far

Red Hook released Darkest Dungeon II on PC last year (after it started Early Access in 2021). This past July, it was ported to PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

A week after its full release, Red Hook revealed the sequel has sold 500,000 copies, most of which came during its time in Early Access.

Meanwhile, Behaviour has conducted several rounds of layoffs this year. In January and June, the developer cut jobs across multiple departments, largely at its Montreal studio. The company spent 2023 acquiring companies like CodeGlue and SockMonkey.

Shortly before Darkest Dungeon II's 1.0 launch, Game Developer spoke with Red Hook co-founders Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa about its development, which you can read here.

Update 9/24: This story previously incorrectly stated that Behaviour closed two studios in recent history. It has been updated to correctly identify there was only a single closure.

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Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

Bryant Francis

Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2.

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