Behaviour Interactive acquires Darkest Dungeon developer Red Hook

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Red Hook Studios is known for developing the gothic roguelike RPG Darkest Dungeon, released in 2016, along with its sequel, Darkest Dungeon 2, which launched on PC last year and on consoles this summer.

“We are thrilled to announce our acquisition of Red Hook Studios,” said Behaviour Interactive. “As fans, we have long admired and enjoyed the Darkest Dungeon series (perhaps even losing a bit of sleep over it), and the chance to welcome Red Hook as a fully independent studio under the Behaviour banner is incredibly exciting.

“We can’t wait to support Red Hook as they continue to excel in putting your sanity to the test.”

Behaviour Interactive, headquartered in Montreal, is best known for its successful multiplayer action horror game, Dead by Daylight, which was released in 2016 and surpassed 60 million players by 2022, according to the company.

The news of Red Hook’s acquisition comes on the heels of several layoffs that occurred within Behaviour this year.

Recently, Behaviour shut down Midwinter Entertainment, based in Washington, US, which it had acquired in 2022 after the release of the studio’s debut title, Scavengers. The closure of Midwinter coincided with the cancellation of its Dead by Daylight spin-off, Project T.

In June, Behaviour announced plans to lay off up to 95 employees, approximately 7% of its then 1,300-strong workforce. It was also reported that around 45 employees were laid off in January.