How a studio avoided industry crunch to build a gaming empire
In short: From a 1992 startup to a global powerhouse, Behaviour Interactive has mastered the art of the pivot. By abandoning the industry's notorious 'crunch' culture, they secured top workplace honors while turning a survival horror hit into a multi-million dollar phenomenon with millions of players.
Founded in 1992 as Megatoon in Quebec City, Behaviour Interactive's journey involves several identity shifts. After being sold to Malofilm Communications in 1996 and merged, the studio operated as Artificial Mind and Movement Inc. (A2M) until 2010. The name change was driven by a desire for a stronger presence in the gaming community and to avoid an obscene interpretation of the A2M initialism.
The studio's financial trajectory was transformed by the 2016 release of Dead by Daylight. The multiplayer survival horror game, originally published by Sweden's Starbreeze, sold over 1 million copies in its first two months. Behaviour eventually purchased the publishing rights from Starbreeze for US$16 million in 2018. Such triumph drove huge income increases, climbing from CAD $25 million during 2015 to CAD $225 million by 2021.
Beyond original IP, Behaviour maintains a massive services unit, providing work-for-hire development for giants like Nintendo, Disney, and Ubisoft. Their business model is split between these services and their Original Games unit. This diversification has allowed them to expand globally, acquiring studios like Wanako Games, Midwinter Entertainment, and Red Hook Studios, while establishing offices from Toronto to Cornwall.
Notably, Behaviour became one of the first studios to abolish 'crunch time'—the controversial practice of requiring long, often unpaid hours to meet deadlines. This commitment to better working conditions helped the company earn recognition as one of Canada's Best Workplaces in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Behaviour Interactive
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