Ask any long-term Fog traveler what’s missing from the campfire, and you’ll hear one name over and over. MacReady. Or, more accurately, the shapeshifting nightmare from Outpost 31. Dead by Daylight The Thing is essentially the "Holy Grail" of licensed horror content that hasn't happened yet, and honestly, the reasons why are as fascinating as the movie itself.
We’ve seen Michael Myers. We’ve seen Ghostface. We even survived the legal nightmare of getting Leatherface and Freddy Krueger into the game. But RJ MacReady and the Thing? They remain elusive. It’s weird, right? You have a game built on the foundation of 80s slasher tropes, yet one of the most iconic creature features in cinematic history is nowhere to be found.
The Problem of Perfection
The Thing is a masterpiece of practical effects. Rob Bottin’s work in the 1982 film is visceral, messy, and fundamentally chaotic. That's the first hurdle for Behavior Interactive. How do you model a killer that is, by definition, everything and nothing at once?
In Dead by Daylight, killers need a distinct silhouette. You need to know it's a Trapper or a Huntress from across the Macmillan Estate by the way they walk or the hum they make. The Thing thrives on being indistinguishable from the survivors. If you put The Thing in the game, the community expects a "disguise" mechanic. But here is the kicker: Dead by Daylight is a game heavily reliant on Third-Person Perspective for survivors and First-Person for killers. A disguise mechanic sounds cool on paper, but against a four-man "survive with friends" (SWF) group on Discord, it falls apart instantly.
"Hey, is that you behind the generator?"
"No, I’m at the shack."
"Okay, it's the Killer."
Boom. The primary power of the most terrifying alien in cinema is neutralized by a free voice-chat app. This is the design wall that developers likely hit every time they sit down to sketch out a Dead by Daylight The Thing chapter.
What Could a Power Actually Look Like?
If we move past the "imposter" trope, there are other ways to handle it. Think about the dog-thing. Think about the chest-bursting scene. The Thing isn't just about looking like a person; it’s about biological assimilation.
Maybe the Killer starts as a dog. It’s fast, low to the ground, and has a smaller terror radius. Once it "infects" a survivor—maybe via a scratch or a projectile—it gains the ability to evolve. We’ve seen this "level up" mechanic work with The Nemesis and The Oni. But for The Thing, it has to feel more... organic.
Imagine a mechanic where the Killer can place "flesh traps" on windows or pallets. Instead of just blocking them, the environment itself becomes part of the Killer. It’s messy. It’s gross. It’s exactly what John Carpenter envisioned.
The Survivor Side: RJ MacReady and the Arctic
You can't have The Thing without MacReady. Period. Kurt Russell’s portrayal of the world’s most cynical pilot is legendary. In the context of Dead by Daylight, he’s a perfect fit for a "gritty" survivor archetype.
We need perks that reflect his paranoia. Maybe a perk called "Blood Test" that lets him see the aura of other survivors within a certain range, but only if they are performing a cooperative action. Or "Last Stand," something that gives a burst of speed or a temporary health state when you're the last person alive and the exit gates aren't powered.
And then there's the map.
The snowy wastes of Antarctica.
The blurred vision from a blizzard.
Outpost 31 would be an incredible addition to the Realm. We already have Ormond, which is snowy, but it lacks the claustrophobia of a research base. We need narrow hallways, flickering fluorescent lights, and the constant sound of wind howling outside. It needs to feel cold.
Why Haven't We Gotten It?
Licensing is a headache. We know this. The rights to The Thing are held by Universal, and while Behavior has worked with Universal before (think Chucky), every contract is different. Sometimes the rights to the "character" don't include the rights to the "likeness" of the actor. Getting the rights to The Thing is one thing; getting Kurt Russell’s face is an entirely different mountain of paperwork and money.
Then there’s the "Killer" itself. Who is the Killer? Is it the creature in its "true" form? Universal might be protective of how the creature is portrayed. They might not want it being stunned by a wooden pallet or blinded by a flashlight. It sounds silly, but these brand guidelines often kill deals before they even start.
The "Legion" Experiment and Lessons Learned
A lot of people forget that when The Legion was first teased, the trailer showed a survivor-looking figure jumping a pallet. Everyone thought, "This is it! The disguise killer!"
It wasn't. The Legion ended up being a group of teenagers who run fast and stab people. The community was, frankly, disappointed. It showed that the "imposter" fantasy is something the player base desperately wants but the engine might not be able to handle in a way that feels fair or fun.
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If Behavior ever does tackle Dead by Daylight The Thing, they have to avoid the Legion mistake. They can't tease a shapeshifter and then give us a Killer that just M1s (basic attacks) people. It has to be weird. It has to be gross.
Deep Lore: The Entity and the Alien
From a lore perspective, it fits perfectly. The Entity feeds on emotion—hope, fear, despair. The Thing generates those in spades. The sheer paranoia of not knowing who to trust is a feast for a cosmic spider-god.
In the original movie, the ending is famously ambiguous. Childs and MacReady sitting in the snow, watching the base burn, not knowing if the other is human. Bringing them into the Fog doesn't ruin that ending; it extends it. It’s the ultimate "what if."
Mechanical Suggestions for a Future Chapter
If I were designing this today, I'd lean into the "Assimilation" meter.
- Passive: Cellular Mimicry. The Killer can take the form of the last survivor it injured. This doesn't hide the red stain or the terror radius (unless using a specific add-on), but it creates that split-second hesitation at a loop.
- Special Attack: Viral Harpoon. A mid-range whip-like attack using a fleshy tendril. If it hits, the survivor is "Infected."
- Environmental Interaction: The Petri Dish. Survivors have to find flamethrowers or chemicals around the map to "cleanse" themselves, similar to the fountains with The Plague or the boxes with The Singularity.
This creates a gameplay loop that isn't just about chasing. It’s about resource management. You have to choose: do I finish this generator, or do I go find a way to burn the cells out of my system before I become a liability to the team?
Final Thoughts on the Outpost 31 Dream
The demand for Dead by Daylight The Thing isn't going away. Every time a new teaser drops, the comments are flooded with "Is it the dog?" or "Please let it be MacReady."
The game has evolved. With the introduction of complex killers like The Singularity and The Unknown, the technical hurdles that existed in 2017 are mostly gone. Behavior has proven they can do weird body horror. They’ve proven they can do licensed characters justice.
Honestly? It feels like a matter of "when," not "if." But until that day comes, we’ll keep staring at the snow on Ormond, wondering if that survivor running toward us is actually who they say they are.
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Actionable Next Steps for Fans
- Watch the 1982 Film: If you haven't seen it, your understanding of the "want" for this chapter is incomplete. It’s the gold standard of the genre.
- Support Body Horror Killers: If you want The Thing, play as The Unknown or The Singularity. High pick rates for "weird" killers tell Behavior that the community is ready for non-humanoid or complex monsters.
- Voice your Interest: Use the official Dead by Daylight forums and surveys. Behavior actually looks at licensed request data. If "The Thing" stays at the top of the list, the business case for the license becomes undeniable.
- Don't Settle for Clones: Keep the conversation focused on unique mechanics. We don't need another "stealth" killer; we need a "paranoia" killer.
The Fog is always expanding. Maybe the next thing to emerge from it won't be a person at all, but a heap of teeth and tentacles wearing a familiar face. We can only hope.