Valve excluded six days of player submissions on Steam to restore Dead by Daylight to a Mostly Positive rating following a review-bombing dispute. The intervention came after developer Behaviour Interactive gifted paid DLC content to streamer TheBurntPeanut during an October 30 broadcast, prompting community backlash. Between November 1 and November 6, thousands of negative comments dragged the store score down to Mixed before Valve intervened. With those dates removed from default calculations, Dead by Daylight reviews rebounded to 74% positive in recent tallies, leaving an explanatory asterisk on the Steam store page [1].
A Rebound in Dead by Daylight Reviews
A Steam store banner informs visitors that user ratings submitted during an unusual activity period are not included in the calculation. That adjustment reversed a slide into Mixed territory that began during the opening days of November. At the time of writing, 74% of recent user reviews on Steam are positive, which pushes Dead by Daylight back into the Mostly Positive band. The shift did not stem from players changing their minds about gameplay. Thousands of angry submissions simply stopped counting toward the visible score [1].
Valve did not wipe those negative evaluations from existence. Every written comment remains on Steam, but the system keeps them out of the default calculation shown to shoppers. An official disclaimer on the store page states that the period from November 1 to November 6 was “marked as containing an abnormal set of reviews that we believe are largely unrelated to the likelihood that you would enjoy the product.” The message adds that “the reviews within this period are excluded from the Review Score by default” [3].
The filtration rule applies to every submission posted in that six-day window, regardless of whether a player discussed TheBurntPeanut or shared normal feedback. Anyone who wants an unfiltered perspective can adjust their personal Steam Review Score Settings. According to SteamDB tracking data cited by Dexerto, Dead by Daylight holds an overall rating of roughly 78% positive across nearly 950,000 lifetime reviews. Turning the filter off drops the recent rating back to Mixed [2].
The Streamer DLC Giveaway
The dispute started on October 30, when streamer TheBurntPeanut broadcast himself playing Dead by Daylight. During the stream, a Behaviour Interactive employee unlocked all paid DLC for him, granting access to killers, survivors, and perks. Behaviour said staff saw a chance to expose the game to a large new viewership, but the gift went ahead without regular approval steps [1].
Longtime players quickly criticized Behaviour for supporting TheBurntPeanut, arguing that his past content clashed with the inclusive culture Behaviour claims to champion. The dispute escalated when TheBurntPeanut offered to give the add-ons back and an official Dead by Daylight account answered, “WE CAN TAKE THE HEAT! THEY ARE YOURS TO KEEP.” That reply inflamed tensions across community forums, where many players felt Behaviour brushed off serious concerns before examining his broadcast history. Backlash soon arrived from opposing camps on Steam, as community members posted negative feedback over Behaviour’s choice of partner while TheBurntPeanut’s loyal fans left angry remarks once Behaviour started pulling away. Neither faction focused their complaints on bugs or balance [1].
Behaviour Interactive first launched Dead by Daylight on June 14, 2016, building an asymmetrical multiplayer format where four survivors try to escape a solitary killer. Behaviour expanded the game from PC to consoles, releasing versions on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and mobile devices under an ESRB rating of M for Mature. That console footprint helped turn Dead by Daylight into Behaviour’s leading property [1].
Steam’s 2019 Anti-Bombing System
Valve created its off-topic moderation system in 2019 after multiple Steam releases suffered coordinated review campaigns over outside controversies. Valve built an automated tool “that identifies any anomalous review activity on all games on Steam in as close to real-time as possible.” The tool alerts human review staff at Valve whenever incoming submission rates spike beyond normal boundaries [3].
In a 2019 blog post detailing the workflow, Valve clarified how staff assess incoming alerts on Steam. The tool “doesn’t know why a given game is receiving anomalous review activity, and it doesn’t even try to figure that out. Instead, it notifies a team of people at Valve, who’ll then go and investigate.” If investigators conclude that a wave of negative submissions stems from issues unrelated to how a game plays, Valve will “mark the time period it encompasses and notify the developer.” That is how Dead by Daylight reviews from November 1 to November 6 lost their influence on the default Steam score [3].
Steam has introduced various adjustments over the years, including rules to curb Steam review delays during store approvals. Whether Valve has altered its specific off-topic criteria over the past seven years remains unclear. When IGN asked for clarification regarding the review process, Behaviour said that it “is not at liberty to discuss any platform partner (review) processes” and directed inquiries to its published announcements. Valve did not immediately provide additional details about its inquiry [3].
Behaviour’s Internal Policy Changes
Behaviour tried to calm player anger through multiple public messages. Behaviour issued a preliminary apology on November 1 before following up with an extensive statement on November 3. Leadership admitted that employees had “moved too fast” when handing out items, adding that the social media retort had escalated the standoff [1].
To address community concerns, Behaviour stripped the gifted DLC characters and perks from TheBurntPeanut’s account. “This incident has broken trust with our community,” Behaviour wrote in its November 3 post. Behaviour pledged to rewrite creator guidelines, establish stricter oversight for content gifts, and roll out new training sessions for staff members. Behaviour said it was taking disciplinary steps internally, though it declined to disclose details about specific employees [2].
Behaviour has managed several roster changes in recent weeks, including announcing that the Child’s Play killer Chucky would be withdrawn from sale. In a statement shared with IGN, Behaviour said that guest killers will “continue to have an open invitation to join (or rejoin)” Dead by Daylight in future updates [3].
Player Debate Around Dead by Daylight Reviews
Despite Behaviour’s apologies, player opinion remains split across gaming forums. Critics who opposed the DLC gift still doubt Behaviour’s vetting procedures. At the same time, supporters of TheBurntPeanut accused Behaviour of folding under outrage, exposing sharp differences between casual stream viewers and longtime Dead by Daylight players [1].
Fan sentiment on social media showed frustration with both Behaviour and Valve’s score adjustments on Steam. “They can’t reverse the damage to their reputation or s***ty customer service,” one player remarked on public channels. Another argued against the platform’s intervention: “In this case, Valve is wrong. The negative reviews were completely justified.” When shoppers manually deselect the off-topic filter, recent Dead by Daylight reviews instantly revert to a Mixed status [3].
Game director Mathieu Côté spoke about that dynamic during a June interview with DualShockers, saying that the Dead by Daylight player base consists of separate groups with differing expectations. While Valve’s filtering restored a Mostly Positive score for prospective buyers browsing Steam, the controversy over Behaviour’s partner choices has not vanished from community discussions. Review bombing gave players a way to register protest on Steam, but Valve’s moderation tools ultimately set those opinions aside [1].
- ONLINE NEWS Acharya, R. (2026, November 7). Steam bails out Dead by Daylight after review bombing campaign. DualShockers. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Doyle, C. (2026, November 7). Valve hides Dead by Daylight review bomb after TheBurntPeanut fallout. Dexerto. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Cripe, M. (2026, November 6). Dead by Daylight Steam reviews return to Mostly Positive after Valve labels chunk of “off-topic” reviews following BurntPeanut controversy. IGN. [Article Link]
