Behaviour Interactive acquires Darkest Dungeon developer Red Hook

Behaviour Interactive has acquired Red Hook Studios for an undisclosed sum.

Vancouver, Canada-based Red Hook is the developer of 2016’s gothic roguelike RPG Darkest Dungeon and its sequel Darkest Dungeon 2, which hit PC last year and consoles this summer.

“Today, we’re ecstatic to announce our acquisition of Red Hook Studios,” Behaviour Interactive said. “Darkest Dungeon has long been a series we’ve admired, enjoyed (and maybe even lost a little sleep over) as fans, and the opportunity to welcome Red Hook as a fully independent studio under the Behaviour banner is nothing short of a thrill.

“We look forward to supporting Red Hook as they continue to do what they do best: put your sanity to the test.”

Montreal, Canada-headquartered Behaviour’s most successful IP, the multiplayer action horror game Dead by Daylight, was released in 2016 and surpassed 60 million players in 2022, according to the company.

News of the Red Hook acquisition follows a series of layoffs made by the company this year.

“The way is lit. The path is clear.”

Today, we’re ecstatic to announce our acquisition of Red Hook Studios. Darkest Dungeon has long been a series we’ve admired, enjoyed (and maybe even lost a little sleep over) as fans, and the opportunity to welcome Red Hook as a fully… pic.twitter.com/3SeO6kEZWs

— Behaviour Interactive (@Behaviour) September 24, 2024

Last week Behaviour closed Washington, US-headquartered Midwinter Entertainment, which it had acquired in 2022 following the release of the studio’s debut title, Scavengers. News of the studio’s closure 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, representing approximately 7% of the company’s then 1,300-strong workforce. It also reportedly laid off around 45 employees in January.