Dead by Daylight finally removes blackface Leatherface cosmetic
Dead by Daylight has removed a cosmetic from the character The Cannibal, aka Leatherface, that allowed Killer players to don blackface.
The asymmetrical, horror multiplayer game has had a few issues surface in 2021 with their Hellraiser DLC being directly linked to NFTs, and a few controversial changes to the game’s matchmaking system, but the blackface Leatherface cosmetic is another thing entirely.
Firstly, the cosmetic has been around since the Leatherface Killer was first introduced to the game in 2017. When this character was introduced he came with just one full cosmetic, his signature look as seen in the 1974 film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, four ‘secret’ cosmetics were able to be obtained via the player sacrificing the original four survivors (Dwight, Meg, Claudette, and Jake) 25 times each, rewarding players for doing so by giving them the face of the Survivor to wear.
The problem with this cosmetic, despite the obvious blackface and yellowface on display in regards to survivors Claudette and Jake, was that it allowed racists to direct targeted harassment towards players. The origin of this hate all seemed to lead back to the blackface Leatherface cosmetic, something which became so obvious that players have been petitioning Behaviour Interactive and Dead by Daylight to remove the offensive content.
When not petitioning, players have also contacted Behaviour Interactive before – as well as wrote several posts explaining why the cosmetic should not be included in the game.
“There will always be people who use this cosmetic to act out racist fantasies. Reporting each individual won’t change that. It’s past time to take away the tool” Dead by Daylight content creator SistaKaren has previously commented on the cosmetic.
It seems persistance from marginalized players has finally paid off however, with a developer announcement yesterday highlighting the four masks will be removed in the upcoming Mid-Chapter.
“Members of the community have shared their experiences with people targeting and harassing them while using some of these masks.” The dev blog explained. “These reports were disheartening to hear, and we absolutely condemn this behaviour. We are not comfortable having these masks in the game when they are used as a tool to spread hate. To that end, we will be removing The Cannibal’s unlockable faces in this upcoming Mid-Chapter.”
Players who have previously played The Cannibal before the release of the Mid-Chapter will be given 6,000 iridescent shards in order to compensate for the removal of the masks.
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