Illfonic Rejects Dead by Daylight Comparison for Halloween, Calls It “Cricket Versus Baseball

Illfonic has pushed back against the wave of comparisons piling onto its upcoming asymmetrical horror title Halloween, insisting that measuring the game against Dead by Daylight is a fundamentally flawed exercise. Speaking in a Zoom interview, the studio’s chief creative officer Jared Gerritzen argued that the two titles occupy different creative territories, describing the comparison as “literally cricket versus baseball.” Illfonic, the developer behind the game, has long been a staple of the licensed horror genre and is now defending its approach to building bespoke experiences around established franchises.

The debate has become a recurring talking point within the community, with many players instinctively reaching for Dead by Daylight as the benchmark whenever a new asymmetric horror game enters the market. The genre’s decade-long leader has set a high bar, and newcomers like Halloween are frequently measured against it. But Gerritzen contends that the comparison, while easy to draw, ultimately ignores what makes each game distinct.

A Bespoke Approach, Not a Mixtape

At the heart of Illfonic’s philosophy is the idea that each game should be crafted specifically for its franchise and its fanbase, rather than assembled from a menu of interchangeable parts. Gerritzen explained that the studio treats its projects as tailored creations rather than collections of borrowed elements.

“We make a game bespoke for that franchise, for that group of horror fans, and for the people who love that monster.”

Jared Gerritzen, Illfonic Chief Creative Officer

He contrasted this with what he called the “mixtape” approach, suggesting that other titles in the space lean more heavily on assembling familiar pieces. While he acknowledged those games have their own merits, Gerritzen argued the projects are simply too different to be directly compared.

“And it’s like, how could you not want something that is built purely for Halloween? Like, if you’re a horror fan, if you’re a Halloween fan, how would you just be okay with it being a secondary piece? We build things for that love of that movie, and I feel like they deserve it.”

The studio’s track record reflects this hands-on, franchise-first method. Illfonic has previously delivered Friday the 13th, Predator: Hunting Grounds, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, each built around a specific IP rather than a generic asymmetric template.

Proving the Doubters Wrong

Gerritzen’s comments also touched on a persistent refrain among players: the fear that Illfonic’s games would eventually shut down. He addressed this directly, pointing to the studio’s history of keeping its titles alive.

“How many Illfonic-published games [have shut down]?” he asked rhetorically. “The answer is none.”

Jared Gerritzen, Illfonic Chief Creative Officer

He noted that Friday the 13th was shuttered due to a rights issue, but clarified that Illfonic did not publish that title, making it a unique case rather than a reflection of the studio’s broader record. His other genre entries remain running today.

Gerritzen acknowledged that this skepticism has followed the team since its earliest projects. “As soon as we started doing Predator, people were asking about it,” he recalled, noting the same questions resurfaced with Ghostbusters, Killer Klowns, and now Halloween.

His response is simple: demonstrate the critics wrong. “Predator has 30-some-odd predators right now… Klowns has all this great stuff. Like, we slow things down for sure. But it’s not like Illfonic has ever shut a server down [or] closed down shop.”

For Gerritzen, the studio’s job is to keep proving the doubters wrong, one long-running title at a time.

Looking Ahead

The comparison to Dead by Daylight is unlikely to disappear entirely, given the genre’s tendency to benchmark new releases against its most successful incumbent. But Illfonic appears confident in its differentiated vision, emphasizing depth, franchise fidelity, and long-term support over direct parity.

As Halloween approaches its release, the studio’s track record offers a reassuring signal to players who have grown wary of the genre’s churn. With a portfolio of live, well-supported titles behind it, Illfonic is betting that its bespoke approach will resonate—and that its next entry will simply add another chapter to a list of games that never had to be shut down.

For now, the message from the studio is clear: rather than asking players to compare Halloween to Dead by Daylight, Illfonic wants them to experience what it has built for the franchise—and to watch the doubters get proven wrong.