During the highly anticipated gamescom Opening Night Live presentation, Behaviour Interactive, the acclaimed studio behind the phenomenally successful Dead by Daylight and Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, unveiled their most ambitious original project to date: Exterminauts. This vibrant sci-fi cooperative shooter represents a bold new direction for the Canadian developer, marking their entry into the competitive PvE shooter market with a title that promises to deliver colorful, action-packed gameplay for teams of players battling against alien threats.
The game is set to be published by Level Infinite in collaboration with TEAM SHOOTER & CREATIVE, with a planned release window of 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This multi-platform approach signals Behaviour Interactive’s intention to reach the widest possible audience with their new intellectual property, leveraging the publishing expertise of Level Infinite, which is Tencent’s gaming brand responsible for bringing numerous titles to global markets.
Behaviour Interactive’s Evolution as a Developer
Behaviour Interactive has established itself as one of Canada’s most successful independent game studios, with a history spanning over three decades. Founded in 1992 in Montreal, the company initially worked on various licensed projects and contract work before striking gold with Dead by Daylight in 2016. That asymmetric multiplayer horror game has since become a cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of players worldwide and securing countless crossover collaborations with iconic horror franchises including Halloween, Stranger Things, and Resident Evil. The game’s sustained success has generated hundreds of millions in revenue and provided Behaviour with the financial stability to pursue more ambitious original projects.
The studio’s experience with Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, despite that game’s troubled development and eventual shutdown, provided valuable lessons in creating large-scale multiplayer shooters. Those hard-earned insights appear to be informing the development of Exterminauts, which promises to combine the studio’s expertise in live-service games with a fresh, original universe that they fully control.
The Growing PvE Shooter Market
Exterminauts enters a competitive but thriving market for cooperative PvE shooters. Games like Deep Rock Galactic, Helldivers 2, and Darktide have demonstrated that there is substantial appetite among players for team-based experiences where cooperation against AI enemies takes center stage. The success of Helldivers 2 in particular, which became one of 2024’s biggest gaming phenomena with millions of concurrent players, has proven that the genre can achieve mainstream breakthrough success when executed properly. Behaviour Interactive appears to be positioning Exterminauts to capitalize on this momentum while differentiating itself through its distinctive colorful aesthetic, which stands in contrast to the grimmer visual styles of many competitors.
The involvement of Level Infinite as publisher adds significant resources to the project. As Tencent’s global gaming brand, Level Infinite has been expanding its portfolio of high-profile titles and brings substantial marketing and distribution capabilities to the table. This partnership suggests that both companies see major potential in Exterminauts as a long-term live-service platform that could compete with established franchises in the cooperative shooter space.
What to Expect Moving Forward
With a 2027 release window, Behaviour Interactive has given themselves ample development time to polish Exterminauts and build anticipation through additional reveals at future gaming events. The gamescom announcement serves as an initial teaser, with more detailed gameplay demonstrations, character reveals, and story details likely to emerge over the coming months and years. Industry observers will be watching closely to see whether Behaviour can successfully translate their expertise in asymmetric multiplayer into a fully cooperative PvE experience, and whether their colorful sci-fi universe can carve out its own identity in an increasingly crowded genre.
Expert Opinion: Behaviour Interactive’s decision to invest heavily in an original IP demonstrates both confidence and strategic foresight. With the live-service shooter market becoming increasingly competitive, the studio’s proven track record with Dead by Daylight’s ongoing content updates positions them well for long-term success. However, the 2027 launch window means Exterminauts will need to contend with an evolved competitive landscape, making strong community-building and distinctive gameplay mechanics essential for standing out.
