We’ve all been there. You’re playing Dead by Daylight, looping a killer around a junk pile in Autohaven, and you start thinking about who’s missing. It’s a long list. Jason is stuck in legal hell, Art the Clown just arrived, and Chucky is somehow terrifyingly viable despite being two feet tall. But there is one name that keeps bubbling up in forum threads and "leak" videos every single time a new teaser drops: Ben Willis. Better known as The Fisherman. The hook-handed slasher from the 1997 classic I Know What You Did Last Summer.
People want an I Know What You Did Last Summer DBD chapter so badly it hurts. Honestly, it makes sense. The movie helped revive the teen slasher genre alongside Scream. It has a recognizable villain with a built-in weapon that fits the game’s "hooking" mechanic perfectly. Yet, here we are, years into the game's lifespan, and the slicker-wearing killer is nowhere to be found.
Why? It isn't just bad luck.
The Licensing Nightmare Nobody Talks About
Getting a license into Dead by Daylight isn't as simple as Behavior Interactive sending a "u up?" text to a movie studio. It’s a legal slog. For I Know What You Did Last Summer, the rights are... messy. Sony (Columbia Pictures) handled the original film, but the story is actually based on a 1973 novel by Lois Duncan.
Duncan famously hated the movie. She wasn't a fan of her suspense novel being turned into a blood-soaked slasher flick, especially after a personal tragedy in her own life involving her daughter. While the movie rights exist separately, the intellectual property (IP) has layers. When Behavior approaches a license, they have to navigate who owns the likeness of the actors—like Jennifer Love Hewitt or Sarah Michelle Gellar—and who owns the specific character design of the Fisherman.
Sometimes, a studio might want too much money. Other times, they might be planning their own project. With the recent news of a legacy sequel in development at Sony, they might be holding onto those rights tightly. They might want to see if the new movie succeeds before "diluting" the brand in a video game. It's frustrating for us, but it’s business for them.
The Hook Mechanic: A Blessing or a Curse?
Let's talk about the Hook. It’s the core of Dead by Daylight. Every killer puts survivors on meat hooks. Ben Willis? He uses a hand hook to kill people.
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You’d think this makes him a "slam dunk" for the game. I’ve seen concept art where his power involves dragging survivors or interacting with the environment using that signature tool. However, Behavior sometimes avoids characters that feel too similar to what they already have. We already have The Hillbilly and Leatherface sharing a chainsaw. We have multiple stealth killers. Would The Fisherman just feel like a legendary skin for The Trapper or an echo of someone else?
Personally, I think that’s a weak argument. Ghostface and Myers both stalk, but they play completely differently. Ben Willis could easily have a mechanic based on "Guilt" or "Secrets." Imagine a killer power where the more objectives you complete, the more "The Fisherman" knows about your location. He knows what you did last summer (or ten minutes ago at that generator).
What a Survivor Paragraph Would Look Like
If we ever get an I Know What You Did Last Summer DBD chapter, we need Julie James. Jennifer Love Hewitt’s "What are you waiting for?!" scream is iconic horror history. She’s the ultimate final girl of the late 90s.
But here’s the kicker: licensing her face is expensive. Behavior has moved toward original survivors or "likeness-adjacent" characters lately when the actors don't sign off. Think about Laurie Strode. She looks... okay, but she doesn't exactly look like a young Jamie Lee Curtis. If Sony won't play ball with the actor's likenesses, we might end up with a "generic" version of the characters, which usually bodes poorly for DLC sales.
The "Legendary Skin" Theory
There is a very real possibility that we never get a full chapter. Instead, we might get a collection. Dead by Daylight has been doing this a lot lately. They take an existing killer and give them a high-quality skin that changes their entire look and voice.
Could the Legion get a "shrouded" skin? Maybe. But Ben Willis deserves his own power. He deserves a map. Think about a rainy, coastal North Carolina fishing village. The docks. The smell of salt and fish guts. The atmosphere of that first movie is thick, and the game lacks a truly "nautical" slasher map outside of the Pale Rose, which is more swamp-focused anyway.
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Why Fans Keep Getting Fooled by Leaks
Every time there is a "leak" involving water or a hook, the community loses its mind. Last year, a fake roadmap circulated on Reddit claiming an I Know What You Did Last Summer DBD crossover was slated for Q3. It looked real. It had the fonts right. It had the "Sony" copyright at the bottom.
It was a total fabrication.
The problem is that the "Slasher" era of DBD is slowly being replaced by "Cosmic Horror" and "Modern Gaming" icons. We got Alan Wake. We got Castlevania. We got Five Nights at Freddy's (finally). The classic 90s slasher is a dying breed in the licensing world because most of them have already been picked up or are too obscure for the younger Gen Z player base that drives skin sales.
Does the average 16-year-old playing DBD know who Ben Willis is? Maybe not. They know Springtrap. They know Wesker. That’s a hurdle for the developers. They have to weigh the nostalgia of 30-somethings against the "hype" of the current gaming trends.
The Mechanics of the Fisherman
If I were designing him, I’d lean into the "stalking from the shadows" aspect. Ben Willis wasn't a supernatural teleporting demon in the first film; he was just a guy who was really good at being where you didn't want him to be.
- Power: The Rainy Slicker. He becomes undetectable while standing still or moving near edges of the map.
- Special Attack: Dragging Hook. A mid-range lunge that pulls a survivor toward him instead of just Downing them.
- Perk: No Escape. Something that punishes survivors for leaving their teammates behind.
These aren't just "cool ideas." They are gaps in the current meta. We need more killers that force survivors to change how they loop. Right now, it’s all about distance. A "pull" mechanic would flip the script.
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The Reality of 2026 and Beyond
As of right now, there is zero official word on an I Know What You Did Last Summer DBD collaboration. Behavior is currently focused on their "Project T" and expanding the lore of the Entity.
However, hope isn't dead. The horror cycle always comes back around. With the Scream franchise hitting bumps in the road and Halloween taking a break after the Ends trilogy, studios are looking for their next big (old) thing. If the new movie from Sony gains traction, a DBD tie-in is the easiest marketing win in the world.
Think about it. You release a trailer for the movie. A week later, you drop the Fisherman in the Fog. It’s a proven formula. It worked for Resident Evil. It worked for Stranger Things.
What You Should Do Instead of Waiting
Waiting for a license is a sucker’s game. If you’re dying for that 90s slasher vibe in Dead by Daylight, you have to get creative with the current roster.
- Play as The Deathslinger. He has the harpoon/hook mechanic. If you squint, he’s basically a cowboy version of Ben Willis.
- Use the "Rainy Day" cosmetics. Several survivors have slickers and boots that mimic the aesthetic of the movie’s cast.
- Watch the Official Forums. Stop following "leakers" on X (Twitter) who have 40 followers and a dream. Only trust the official Behavior roadmaps.
The devs have a "License Wishlist" they occasionally reference in surveys. Every time that survey pops up—usually once or twice a year—make sure you type it in. The Fisherman. Julie James. Helen Shivers (maybe as a legendary skin).
Actionable Steps for the DBD Community
If you want to see this chapter become a reality, you have to show the developers that the demand is actually there. It isn't just about memes; it's about engagement.
- Participate in the Satisfaction Surveys. These are the primary way Behavior tracks what licenses people are willing to pay for. If enough people spam "I Know What You Did Last Summer," it moves up the priority list.
- Support Indie Horror. Licenses are expensive because they are "safe." When the community shows interest in various types of horror, it gives the devs more leverage to take risks on older IPs.
- Don't Fall for Fake Hype. Every time a fake leak goes viral, it actually hurts the chances of a real reveal because it creates "leak fatigue." Stay skeptical.
- Look into the Sony/Behavior Relationship. Sony has worked with Behavior before (look at the Resident Evil crossovers, as Sony holds various distribution rights). The bridge is already built. We just need the traffic to cross it.
The Fisherman is still out there, hiding in the rain, waiting for his chance to hook a new generation of survivors. Whether he ever makes it into the Fog depends on a mix of corporate greed, legal paperwork, and how loudly we scream for him. Until then, keep your eyes on the road and stay away from the docks after dark.