In response to mounting player frustration, Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has announced a comprehensive redesign of the game's Kill Switch system. This decision follows widespread confusion within the community regarding the feature's activation criteria, particularly concerning the problematic Streetwise perk.

The controversy escalated when players discovered an exploit allowing infinite Charge boosts through Streetwise after its rework in update 9.1.0. Originally designed to enhance item efficiency within an 8-meter radius, the perk was modified to increase Charges for items found in Chests - a change that inadvertently created game-breaking potential.

Behaviour's initial refusal to activate the Kill Switch for this issue sparked significant backlash. Community manager Peanits later clarified on Reddit: "We recognize our Kill Switch criteria weren't adequately communicated. We're rebuilding the system to be more responsive to both technical issues and player concerns."

In a surprising reversal, Behaviour has now activated the Kill Switch for three problematic perks:

• Streetwise (Nea Karlsson)
• Blood Rush (General)
• Last Stand (Michonne)

The latter was recently introduced through Dead by Daylight's The Walking Dead crossover, demonstrating how new content can sometimes introduce unforeseen balance issues.

This incident follows Behaviour's pattern of implementing stealth changes, as seen when players noticed significantly fewer anniversary cakes during the 2025 Twisted Masquerade event. The developer later confirmed this reduction was intentional, not a bug - highlighting ongoing communication challenges between the studio and its player base.