Castlevania‘s Dracula and Trevor Belmont are joining the cast of Dead by Daylight, bringing their unique abilities into the Fog. As you’d expect, Dracula will be a Killer for players to control, with a new shapeshifting ability allowing him to take vampire, wolf, and bat form to better sneak up on opponents. Trevor will be a Survivor, with an ability to “seek out allies and work as part of a team” and wielding unspecified vampire hunting abilities that will likely aid the fight against Dracula.
Trevor’s character model does feature a light chain that seems to be connected to his Vampire Killer holy whip, but it’s not been confirmed whether he’ll wield this weapon in the game. Given the abilities detailed for Dracula, it sounds like the whip would certainly help.
Dracula will be the first shapeshifting Killer in Dead by Daylight, with three forms to combat. In his vampire form, the Count will be able to summon fire to burn Survivors. His bat form is less powerful, but he’ll move fast and quietly while flying. His wolf form provides the ability to track Survivors by scent.
In a word, he’ll be frightening in action, with a raft of skills designed to hunt and kill Survivors en masse. As an added bonus, his castle will also loom in the background of original stages where he’s selected as the Killer, adding a layer of fear.
Read: Konami producer says enthusiasm for Castlevania is “motivating”
The announcement of a major Castlevania crossover arrives after a number of high-profile collaborations between Dead by Daylight and other popular gaming franchises. Alan Wake recently joined the game, as did Lara Croft and characters from Dungeons & Dragons. That’s not to mention that a Five Nights at Freddy’s crossover was recently announced for release in 2025.
Behaviour Interactive compelling Konami to lend its Castlevania franchise is a similarly grand achievement, as the company has historically been quite protective of the brand. While its grip on Castlevania has loosened recently, with other crossovers including Dead Cells and V Rising, the novelty of seeing Castlevania in new video games still hasn’t worn off. Thematically, it also makes a world of sense, as Dracula is one of the horror genre’s first iconic Killers.
As announced, Trevor Belmont and Dracula will debut in Dead by Daylight on 27 August 2024. In the lead-up, we expect to hear more details about Trevor’s abilities, and what else to expect from this on-theme collaboration.
