It’s always a sad day when a game loses the rights to a license, and that’s especially true of Dead By Daylight. The community always celebrates the arrival of any new Killer, but ones from big horror properties are always especially exciting.
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As a game that is sometimes called the museum of horror, a Killer leaving the game while still technically being in the game can be a little confusing. If you’re looking to understand the Dead By Daylight licensing situation surrounding Hellraiser and the iconic Pinhead, read below for all the information.
What Is Happening With Pinhead?
The Cenobite, also known as Pinhead, is both leaving and staying in Dead By Daylight. That’s understandably confusing, especially if you aren’t a licensing agreement expert, but it isn’t too complicated.
The Hellraiser Chapter was originally released on September 7th, 2021, staying with the game for almost four years before becoming unavailable to buy, leaving the store on April 4th, 2025.
The Cenobite was the first Killer to enter the trial grounds of the game without the express permission of The Entity. This actually provides a lore reason for him suddenly vanishing. If he could get in on his own, he could also feasibly leave on his own.
The licensing agreement Dead By Daylight has to sell The Cenobite and his cosmetics is expiring, meaning he has to be removed from their in-game store and from platforms like Steam as DLC. However, they will still be able to keep him in the game for people who already own him.
That means once he leaves, if you don’t own him, you won’t be able to purchase him or play him. You could, however, still play against him if someone you’re matched against does own him. If you already have him purchased and unlocked, nothing will change for you. You’ll still be able to play as him just the same as before.
Why Is The License Expiring?
All licensing agreements typically have an attached end date, one that was contracted to last indefinitely would be very unusual. Normally, as this date approaches, the developers would try to renegotiate with the license holders to extend the agreement.
In this case, things are a little more complicated. The company which held the rights previously, whom Behaviour Interactive had their agreement with, no longer holds the Hellraiser rights. The rights to the original film have reverted to the creator, Clive Barker.
Hellraiser isn’t the only iconic horror movie Clive Barker is responsible for penning. He also created Candyman, a character many people feel Dead By Daylight wouldn’t be complete without adding someday.
Because a different entity now holds the rights, the original contract literally cannot be renewed. If Behaviour wanted to keep the Pinhead rights, they would have to begin a new set of negotiations and sign a new contract with Clive Barker.
It’s very likely that Behaviour has already reached out to Clive Barker, but there’s no way to know unless an official announcement is made by either party. Until that happens, the safest assumption is that Hellraiser is gone from Dead By Daylight for good.
What Will Happen To His Perks?
Pinhead has, hands down, some of the best Killer perks in the game. Hex: Plaything, Deadlock, and Scourge Hook: Gift Of Pain are each top-tier perks that can help make a significant difference in your matches.
These perks are being added to the pool of general perks, so they will appear in the bloodweb for all killers. For those who never had Pinhead to unlock these perks, this is actually a great thing, providing free access to three incredible perks.
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If you already own Pinhead and have him leveled to at least Prestige 1, then his perks will be unlocked on every other Killer, just like before, so nothing will change for you.
Has This Ever Happened Before?
This has happened before, most notably with Stranger Things. When its license expired, Steve, Nancy, The Demogorgon, and the Hawkins Laboratory all left the game in the same fashion.
With Stranger Things no longer available for purchase, codes to unlock the content that were still active were being sold for hundreds of dollars online. Seeing Steve, Nancy, or The Demogorgon in the game became a rare event.
Stranger Things did eventually return to Dead By Daylight, showing that there is hope that the Hellraiser content will also come back. One of the things which led to Stranger Things returning was the player base continually expressing a desire for it. Hellraiser isn’t as popular, so it might not generate the same support.
Is There Any Upside?
While Hellraiser and its associated content becoming unavailable for purchase seems like it could only be a bad thing, there are some potential upsides and things worth being hopeful for.
The Cenobite’s perks entering the general pool gives new Killer players access to some very strong perks, making their experience better. This is especially good because they include slowdown perks, something the general pool is sorely lacking.
If an agreement can be reached with Clive Barker to bring Hellraiser back to Dead By Daylight, it could allow for new Hellraiser content to be added as well. New cosmetics, or even a Survivor or a map, could in theory, be added.
Most notably, negotiations with Clive Barker could also open up the door for discussions about adding Candyman to the game. Whether they’ve had these conversations in the past or not, anything that makes the hook-handed legend more likely to appear in the game is worth holding out hope for.
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