‘He came. And now he must go,’ and that’s why Pinhead is leaving Dead by Daylight in April

A little over three years after being added to the game, Pinhead is leaving Dead by Daylight. Developer Behaviour Interactive announced today that the game’s Hellraiser chapter, which includes the infamous Cenobite, will be unavailable for purchase on April 4.

“He came,” Behaviour Interactive wrote. “And now he must go.” And sure, we’ve all been there, but it sounds more likely to me that the looming departure is more likely the result of expiring licenses.

“Dead by Daylight is a live service game, and there’s always the possibility that unexpected changes may occur. Alas, one such time has come. We’re sad to announce that the Hellraiser Chapter, which includes Pinhead—known in game as The Cenobite—will no longer be available to unlock in Dead by Daylight starting on April 4th, 11 am ET.

If you already own Pinhead or any other Hellraiser-related content in Dead by Daylight, it will remain available; if you don’t and want to pick it up before it’s gone, Behaviour is offering a 50% “last chance” discount. The Cenobite’s perks will also be renamed for anyone who doesn’t own the content once it’s removed, but will remain as it currently is for those who do.

If expiring rights is the culprit in this case, it’s nothing new, and while the removal of Pinhead sucks as a matter of principle it’s relatively painless compared to many other examples of digital impermanence—Forza Horizon 4, for example, was recently removed from sale entirely because of expiring license agreements.

And, as Eurogamer pointed out, this isn’t the first time Dead by Daylight has had to cut loose a big partner: A Stranger Things chapter was taken down in November 2021, just a couple years after it went live. It eventually returned and it’s possible Pinhead will too.