Behaviour Interactive released a Dead by Daylight crossover with Square Enix's NieR: Automata on October 6, bringing 2B, A2 and Emil to the asymmetric multiplayer horror game, Polygon reported. The developer announced the collaboration in a reveal trailer posted to social media.
Unlike some earlier Dead by Daylight collaborations, the NieR characters arrive as outfits for existing characters rather than as new additions to the roster. On the Survivor side, Feng Min receives a 2B outfit and Yui Kimura an A2 outfit. Both are Legendary Outfits with their own music, voice lines, HUD icons and menu idle animations, according to Polygon.
On the Killer side, The Legion receives a Very Rare outfit based on Emil. The collection also includes an appearance by Pod 042 and Legendary portraits of 2B and A2.
Creative director Dave Richard said there is "a definite connection between the themes of our two universes, both dealing with cycles of violence and suffering," and that bringing the three characters into The Fog was a way to celebrate the game.
Polygon noted that NieR: Automata released almost a decade ago and that Square Enix has not announced a sequel, instead licensing the series for crossovers with other games. The mobile spin-off NieR Reincarnation shut down in 2024, and series creator Yoko Taro said in 2025 that several new projects he had worked on were cancelled, without making clear whether any of them was a NieR game.