Behaviour Interactive Explained

Behaviour Interactive Inc.
Type:Private
Industry:Video games
Founded: in Quebec City, Canada
Founder:Rémi Racine
Hq Location City:Montreal
Hq Location Country:Canada
Area Served:Worldwide
Num Employees:>1,300[1]
Num Employees Year:2022

Behaviour Interactive Inc. (stylized as "bEHAVIOUR") is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal. The studio is best known for the multiplayer horror game Dead by Daylight.

History

The company was founded in 1992 in Quebec City as Megatoon.[2] Two years later, the company's current CEO and executive producer, Rémi Racine, co-founded the Montreal-based Multimedia Interactive (MMI) to develop interactive entertainment software for CD-ROM.[3] Both companies were sold to Malofilm Communications in 1996, and a year later, they were merged into Behaviour Interactive with Racine as general manager. In 1997, the studio released Jersey Devil on PlayStation and later Windows. The 3D platformer was the first console game made entirely in Quebec.[4] Distributed by Sony, Jersey Devil caught the eye of Infogrames Entertainment, which approached Behaviour to produce what would become , released in 1999.

In 1999, Racine and some investors bought the studio back, but they had to rename it, changing the name in 2000 to Artificial Mind & Movement Inc. (A2M). As A2M, the studio continued its work-for-hire projects, producing titles for clients including Konami, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Disney Interactive Studios, Nintendo, EA and Activision. In November 2008, the company acquired Santiago-based Wanako Games from Activision Blizzard,[5] which was the first and largest South American game studio. As A2M, the studio maintained its focus on producing original titles, releasing Scaler (2004), Wet (2009) and Naughty Bear (2010). This last title had more than 800,000 console-unit sales and laid the groundwork for the studio's 2016 breakthrough original game, Dead by Daylight.[6]

On November 8, 2010, Artificial Mind & Movement announced its name was returning to Behaviour Interactive.[7] The change was partly due to increased production of original titles and thus stronger presence in the gaming community, partly due to the availability of the original name, and partly due to one particular obscene interpretation of the initialism "A2M".[8]

The studio has maintained its work-for-hire services with major clients while continuing to invest in original games. In 2016, Behaviour released Dead by Daylight, a multiplayer survival action horror game published by Sweden's Starbreeze. Dead by Daylight sold more than 1 million copies in its first two months[9] [10] and by 2022 had more than 50 million players worldwide.[11] In 2018, Behaviour purchased the game's publishing rights from Starbreeze for US$16 million.[12] Thanks in large part to the game's success, Behaviour has seen its revenues grow from CAD $25 million in 2015 to CAD $225 million in 2021.[13] [14]

In April 2022, Behaviour announced the opening of a new office in Toronto.[15] In May 2022, it was announced Behaviour Interactive had acquired the Seattle-based game development studio Midwinter Entertainment.[16]

In the summer of 2022, Behaviour released Hooked on You, a dating sim spinoff from the Dead by Daylight franchise, and the melee brawler Flippin Misfits. Both games were revealed alongside Meet Your Maker at the first Behaviour Beyond showcase of new and upcoming releases broadcast in August 2022.[17]

In February 2023, it was announced that Behaviour had acquired UK-based video game developer SockMonkey Studios,[18] which is now renamed Behaviour UK - North.

In March 2023, it was announced that a film based on Dead by Daylight is in development, with Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster and Striker Entertainment co-producing.[19]

Behaviour's next major original release, Meet Your Maker, was released in April 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One, Series X/S. The game was billed as a "post-apocalyptic first-person building-and-raiding game where every level is designed by players for players."[20]

In May 2023, Concordia University in Montreal announced the creation of a new Behaviour-funded research chair in video game design in its Department of Design and Computation Arts. Behaviour will provide $2-million in funding for the research chair over the next 10 years.[21]

In July 2023, Behaviour announced the opening of a new studio in Truro, Cornwall, called Behaviour UK - South.[22] In August 2023, Behaviour acquired Netherlands-based video game developer Codeglue, renaming it Behaviour Rotterdam.[23] In November 2023, it was announced that Dead by Daylight had surpassed the 60-million player milestone.[24]

In January 2024, Behaviour laid off 45 employees from its Montreal location, which accounted for less than 3% of its total workforce.[25]

In March 2024, Behaviour announced its acquisition of Fly Studio, an award-winning multimedia experience designer and producer from Montreal. Behaviour said the acquisition was made to consolidate its position in the location-based entertainment (LBE) market.[26] Immersive Entertainment replaced the studio's Business Solutions unit, according to its website.[27]

In April 2024, Behaviour announced it would be partnering with Scandinavian independent game developer Haenir Studio to bring their action-horror co-op survival game Blight: Survival to life.[28] The company announced it would lay off an additional 95 employees, 70 of whom are based in Montreal.[29]

Business units

Behaviour's operations are divided into two business units – Services and Original Games.[30] Its Services unit provides work-for-hire development services to major video game and entertainment industry brands such as Disney, Sony, Activision, Warner Bros. Discovery, Ubisoft, HBO and Nintendo and also includes an Immersive Entertainment vertical that has a primary focus on location-based entertainment (LBE). Behaviour's Original Games unit produces the studio's original IP including Dead by Daylight.[31]

Abolition of crunch time

Behaviour Interactive made headlines as one of the first video game studios to abolish crunch time, a controversial yet widespread practice in the video game industry that requires employees to work longer hours, often unpaid, to meet project milestones.[32] [33] [34] The policy helped Behaviour earn its designation as one of Canada's Best Workplaces by gamesindustry.biz in 2018 and again in 2021 and 2022.[33] [35]

Titles

as Artificial Mind & Movement

Game title Year released Platform Publisher
The Grinch 2000 Konami
2000 Infogrames
Smurf Racer! 2001 Infogrames
Monsters, Inc. Scream Team 2001 PS, PS2, PCSony Computer Entertainment
Ice Age 2002 Ubisoft
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem 2003 THQ
2004 BAM! Entertainment
Home on the Range 2004 Buena Vista Games
2004 Buena Vista Games
Scaler 2004 Take-Two Interactive
Get On Da Mic 2004 Eidos Interactive
Lizzie McGuire 2: Lizzie Diaries 2004 Buena Vista Games
Disney Move 2004 Buena Vista Games
Scooby-Doo! Unmasked 2005 THQ
2005 Buena Vista Games
That's So Raven 2: Supernatural Style 2005 Buena Vista Games
everGirl... your way to play! 2005 THQ
Chicken Little 2005 Buena Vista Games
Teen Titans 2005 Majesco Entertainment
2005 Midway Games
Flow: Urban Dance Uprising 2005 Ubisoft
2005 Buena Vista Games
Teen Titans 2006 THQ, Majesco Entertainment
Monster House 2006 THQ
The Ant Bully 2006 Midway Games
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Caper 2006 Buena Vista Games
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble 2006 Buena Vista Games
Teen Titans 2: The Brotherhood's Revenge 2006 Majesco Entertainment
2006 Buena Vista Games
2006 EA
Happy Feet 2006 Midway Games
2007 Buena Vista Games
Drake & Josh 2007 THQ
Enchanted: Once Upon Andalasia 2007 Buena Vista Games
2007 Buena Vista Games
2007 Buena Vista Games
2007 Activision
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Circle of Spies 2007 Disney Interactive Studios
2007 Disney Interactive Studios
2007 Disney Interactive Studios
The Golden Compass 2007 Sega
2008 Disney Interactive Studios
Iron Man 2008 Sega
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 2008 Vivendi Games
2008 Electronic Arts
2008 Activision
2008 Activision
2009 EA
MySims Racing 2009 EA
Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! 2009 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 2009 Activision
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings 2009 LucasArts
Shorts 2009 Majesco Entertainment
Tetris2009PSN (PSP)EA
Wet 2009 Bethesda Softworks
Dante's Inferno 2010 EA
Revenge of the Wounded Dragons 2010 Sony Computer Entertainment
Naughty Bear 2010 505 Games
3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures 2 2010 Konami

as Behaviour Interactive

Game title Year released Platform Publisher
Jersey Devil 1997
1999 Infogrames
MySims SkyHeroes 2010 EA
Doritos Crash Course 2010 Microsoft Studios
Tetris 2011 PSN (PS3)
Monkey Quest2011PCNickelodeon
2011 Atari
Rango: The Video Game 2011 EA
Paramount Digital Entertainment
Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 Activision
Wipeout in the Zone 2011 Activision
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked 2011
Victorious: Hollywood Arts Debut 2011 D3 Publisher
Voltron: Defender of the Universe 2011 PSN (PS3), XLA (X360) THQ
Brave: The Video Game 2012 Disney Interactive Studios
Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games 2012 Activision
Wipeout 3 2012 Activision
Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise 2012 PSN (PS3), XLA (X360) 505 Games
Monsters University 2013 Disney Mobile
After Earth 2013 Reliance Games
Doritos Crash Course 2 2013 Microsoft Studios
Disney's Planes 2013
Pacific Rim: The Mobile Game 2013
2013
2013 Activision
2014 Microsoft Studios
2014 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Pro Feel Golf 2015 iOS, AndroidBehaviour Interactive
SpongeBob HeroPants 2015 Activision
Home: Boov Pop! 2015 Behaviour Interactive
Fallout Shelter 2015 Bethesda Softworks
2015 Activision
Dead by Daylight 2016 Starbreeze Studios (2016 - 2018) / Behaviour Interactive[36] (2018 -)
2016 Bandai Namco
Love & Hip Hop The Game 2016 Behaviour Interactive
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition 2016 Microsoft Studios
Assassin's Creed: Rebellion 2017 Ubisoft
Westworld 2018 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Deathgarden 2018–2019 Behaviour Interactive
Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall2020iOS, AndroidBehaviour Interactive
2022PCBehaviour Interactive
Meet Your Maker2023PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, Xbox Series X/SBehaviour Interactive
Silent Hill: Ascension2023–2024PC, iOS, Android[37] Konami
What the Fog2024PC[38] Behaviour Interactive
The Casting of Frank Stone2024PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SBehaviour Interactive

Bethesda infringement lawsuit

On June 21, 2018, Bethesda Softworks sued Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Behaviour Interactive over Westworld, a mobile game based on the science fiction television series Westworld, alleging that the game is a "blatant rip-off" of Fallout Shelter, another mobile game, co-developed by Behaviour.

In a suit filed in a United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Bethesda alleges that Westworld "has the same or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features and other gameplay elements" as Fallout Shelter. Bethesda sued for copyright infringement, breach of contract and misappropriating trade secrets, seeking a jury trial and damages.[39] The lawsuit also alleged that Westworld identically reproduced some software bugs that were originally present in Fallout Shelter.[40] The lawsuit was settled in January 2019 on friendly terms.[41]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About . Behaviour Interactive . 2022 . December 12, 2022.
  2. Web site: History . Behaviour Interactive . 3 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101114121407/http://www.bhvr.com/en/corporate/about/our_history.html . 14 November 2010 . dead.
  3. Web site: Sep 28, 2017 . Behaviour Interactif célèbre 25 ans de succès en jeu vidéo et inaugure ses nouvelles installations du Mile-Ex à Montréal . June 27, 2022 . Cision. CNW Group.
  4. Web site: Sep 28, 2017 . Behaviour Interactif célèbre 25 ans de succès en jeu vidéo et inaugure ses nouvelles installations du Mile-Ex à Montréal . June 27, 2022 . Cision.
  5. A2M. A2M Acquires Chilean Developer Wanako Games. Bloomberg. September 7, 2014. November 20, 2008.
  6. News: O'Kane . Josh . 2022-04-25 . Montreal indie game studio Behaviour opens new Toronto office after decade-long turnaround . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-06-27.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20101111091308/http://www.bhvr.com/en/news/articles/2010-11-08_01.html Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) Rebrands as Behaviour Interactive - With New Focus, A Return to Previous Name for Canada's Largest Independent Game Developer
  8. Web site: Grant. Christopher. Artificial Mind and Movement rebrands; (re)introducing Behaviour Interactive. Joystiq. September 7, 2014. November 8, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20141014124211/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/artificial-mind-and-movement-rebrands-re-introducing-behaviour. October 14, 2014. dead.
  9. Web site: Chris . Kerr. 2016-08-25 . Dead By Daylight sales top 1 million after two months . 2022-06-27 . Game Developer . en.
  10. Web site: 2016-09-05 . Le million pour Dead by Daylight . 2022-06-27 . www.gamekult.com . fr.
  11. Web site: Behaviour Interactif, la culture et la résilience . 2022-06-27 . www.lesaffaires.com . fr.
  12. Web site: Starbreeze sells rights to Dead by Daylight to Behaviour for USD 16 million – Starbreeze . 2022-06-27 . en-US . 2021-08-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210828051644/https://www.starbreeze.com/2018/03/starbreeze-sells-rights-to-dead-by-daylight-to-behaviour-for-usd-16-million/ . dead .
  13. Web site: McKenna . Alain . 2022-01-22 . Une année pivot pour Behaviour Interactif en 2022 . 2022-06-27 . Le Devoir . fr.
  14. News: O’Kane . Josh . 2022-04-25 . Montreal indie game studio Behaviour opens new Toronto office after decade-long turnaround . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-06-27.
  15. Web site: Frico . 2022-04-25 . Behaviour Interactive, opens first studio in Toronto . 2022-06-27 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  16. Web site: Pinheiro . Daniel . 2022-05-18 . Dead by Daylight developer acquires Midwinter Entertainment, the studio behind Scavengers . 2022-05-18 . PC Invasion . en-US.
  17. Web site: 2022-08-03 . Five exciting game announcements from the Behaviour Beyond showcase . 2022-12-09 . For The Win . en-US.
  18. Web site: Dealessandri . Marie . Behaviour Interactive acquires SockMonkey Studios . GamesIndustry.biz . February 23, 2023. February 23, 2023.
  19. Web site: Boulanger . Sandrine . 2023-03-02 . Film adaptation of hit horror game Dead by Daylight . 2023-03-16 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  20. Web site: 9 December 2022 . Meet Your Maker Launches April 4th, 2023 Meet Your Maker . 2022-12-09 . meetyourmakergame.com.
  21. Web site: Behaviour Interactive's $2-million gift to the Campaign for Concordia to spur innovation for Quebec's video game industry - Concordia University . 2023-12-06 . www.concordia.ca . en.
  22. Web site: Batchelor . James . 2023-07-12 . Behaviour Interactive forms new UK studio with former AntiMatter Games staff . 2023-07-18 . GamesIndustry.biz . en.
  23. Web site: Takahashi . Dean . August 22, 2023 . Behaviour acquires Codeglue to expand dev reach to the Netherlands . VentureBeat.
  24. Web site: McWhertor . Michael . 2023-11-28 . Dead by Daylight hits 60 million players . 2023-12-06 . Polygon . en-US.
  25. Web site: Dealessandri . Marie . 2024-01-18 . Report: Behaviour Interactive lays off 45 employees . 2024-03-04 . GamesIndustry.biz . en.
  26. Web site: 2024-03-14 . Behaviour Interactive acquires Montreal's Fly Studio . 2024-05-22 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  27. Web site: Immersive Entertainment . 2024-05-22 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  28. Web site: Haenir Studio and Behaviour Interactive partner to bring Blight: Survival to life . Behavior Interactive . 2024-04-30 . 2024-04-30.
  29. News: Chalk . Andy . 2024-06-04 . Less than 6 months after laying off 40 employees, Dead by Daylight studio Behaviour Interactive drops another 95 . 2024-06-04 . PC Gamer . en.
  30. Web site: A Leading Independent Game Developer . 2022-06-27 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  31. Web site: Business Solutions . 2022-06-27 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  32. Web site: Macgregor . Jody . May 27, 2019 . CEO of Dead by Daylight devs Behaviour Interactive explains why they abolished crunch . June 27, 2022 . PC Gamer.
  33. Web site: What's the secret to becoming an award-winning employer? . 2022-06-27 . www.hrreporter.com . en.
  34. Web site: 2019-05-21 . CEO Blog - Why I Abolished Crunch Time and Never Looked Back . 2022-06-27 . Behaviour Interactive . en-US.
  35. Web site: Meet the best places to work in Canada's games industry . 2022-06-27 . GamesIndustry.biz . 8 November 2018 . en.
  36. Web site: Starbreeze sells rights to Dead by Daylight to Behaviour for USD 16 million – Starbreeze. 2021-07-25. en-US. 2021-08-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20210828051644/https://www.starbreeze.com/2018/03/starbreeze-sells-rights-to-dead-by-daylight-to-behaviour-for-usd-16-million/. dead.
  37. Web site: You Can Play A New Silent Hill Game Starting Tonight -- Here's When . 2024-02-22 . GameSpot . en-US.
  38. Web site: https://x.com/DeadbyDaylight/status/1790473704113054148 . X . en-US.
  39. News: Bethesda sues Warner Bros, calls its Westworld game 'blatant rip-off' of Fallout Shelter. Polygon. 2018-06-23.
  40. Web site: Bethesda sues Warner for ripping off Fallout Shelter in its Westworld game. PC Gamer . 22 June 2018 .
  41. Web site: Bethesda lawsuit alleging Westworld game was Fallout Shelter 'ripoff' resolved. Polygon. 3 January 2019 . 2020-03-30.