Dead by Daylight’s Naughty Bear Cosmetic Is Bad for Players

Dead by Daylight is used to adding new faces to its roster. The asymmetrical horror game has a sprawling cast, including killers and monsters from huge franchises such as Halloween, Alien, and Stranger Things. Whether you’re a hardcore Nurse main or casual Dwight, there’s a character for you. A huge draw for many players is the large collection of cosmetics the developer has added. While some are just palette swaps, others change the character completely. The Naughty Bear cosmetic is Dead by Daylight‘s newest addition, and unfortunately, it’s bad news for players.

What Is the Naughty Bear in Dead by Daylight?

This fuzzy mascot starred in his own third-person action game in 2010. The mix of violence, dark humor, and cuddly animals was reminiscent of another cult favorite: Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Reviews of Naughty Bear were mixed, but the character himself gained lasting popularity with some. Now Naughty Bear has made his way into Dead by Daylight. No, he’s not the newest killer: he’s a Legendary cosmetic for Trapper. You aren’t getting a new power, but you do get a new look, new animations, voice lines, and even a new Mori, the DbD equivalent of Mortal Kombat‘s Fatalities.

Though parts of the DbD community have vocally opposed the addition of the Naughty Bear cosmetic, that opposition has nothing to do with the cosmetic’s quality. It looks and sounds great, and his Mori is far better than Trapper’s original. It’s a fantastic cosmetic and a great addition to the game. So what’s the problem? Naughty Bear costs 1,485 Auric Cells at the current discount, the equivalent of about $15 USD. That’s almost as much as Dead by Daylight itself typically costs on Steam. If you grab the game on sale, Naughty Bear is actually more expensive. Compare that to the recent release of the Alien Chapter Pack, which offers two new characters, a charm, and a cosmetic for less money.

Why Naughty Bear Is Bad News for DbD

Free-to-play games are notorious for aggressively monetizing cosmetics. Fortnite‘s many skins are just one example of this successful formula. There are a couple of problems here. First, Dead by Daylight is not free-to-play. Second, it’s already home to a huge number of premium skins as well as DLC. The already gigantic roster of killers and survivors grows even more every three months. Even if you buy bundles, the steady drip of DLCs means having access to the full cast gets expensive. If you’re intent on filling your virtual closet with every outfit for your favorite character, you’ll feel it in your wallet. Naughty Bear is arguably the most aggressive monetization we’ve seen from the developer so far.

The biggest problem isn’t just that Naughty Bear is expensive. It’s that Naughty Bear appears to reveal the developer’s plans regarding Moris. There’s every indication that Behaviour plans on making all variants of Moris Auric Cell exclusives. If you don’t have the cash, you’re out of luck. The Mortal Kombat community is at the moment wrestling with a similar situation, proving that Behaviour isn’t the only developer intent on monetizing cosmetics in questionable ways. It’s something that gaming has struggled with since Oblivion‘s infamous “Horse Armor DLC” controversy, and it’s not going away any time soon.

The Worse News Yet

Even if you can afford the Naughty Bear skin or you don’t buy premium cosmetics, the situation should worry you. From the Skull Merchant to the tide of Feng Min skins, the Dead by Daylight community had cause for concern long before Naughty Bear arrived. It often feels like Behaviour cares more about generating new content than balancing the game or implementing QoL changes. Nurse, Blight, and Tombstone Myers remain OP with no changes on the horizon, while killers like the Twins, Trapper, and Freddy desperately require updates. Though DbD remains king of asymmetric horror for now, that won’t continue if gameplay is neglected in favor of cosmetics and money.

Every time a new collaboration is announced, fans of the crossover franchise pick up Dead by Daylight for the first time. That’s a beautiful thing, and it’s exciting to share this fantastic game with fans of Saw, Scream, and Silent Hill. That said, this influx of new players, in some ways, allows Behaviour to continue its questionable monetization practices without consequence. Even if some players leave the game, new ones will inevitably replace them when the next big franchise crossover is announced. Naughty Bear is an exciting addition to the game, but Behaviour shouldn’t use him as an excuse to squeeze players’ wallets.

Dead by Daylight is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.