The Dead By Daylight character model for Pinhead has been licensed as an NFT and the game’s fanbase isn’t all too pleased about it.
As reported by PC Gamer, fans will now be able to purchase an NFT of the Pinhead character model from Dead By Daylight. The sale of the NFT comes from the company Boss Protocol who, as part of an FAQ, states that it has “the official license to create NFTs based on Hellraiser using the in-game models that were created for Dead by Daylight.”
According to the company, Pinhead’s arrival on the Blockchain comes as part of a “unique generated collection” strictly limited to 10,000 NFTs, across a range of different rarity models. For some fans purchasing the digital token, the NFT will also come with a copy of the Hellraiser DLC for Dead by Daylight too – though it’s not quite clear as to who exactly will receive this.
Within its FAQ page, Boss Protocol confirmed that the purchase of the Pinhead NFT would not unlock additional exclusive content within Dead by Daylight. However, the company did say that “certain Pinhead NFTs will unlock access to Hellraiser collectibles and all of them will entitle their owners (on a future date) to additional NFTs (like the Lament Configuration Box) at no cost.” The FAQ page also states: “The Pinhead NFT will also grant access to new content (unrelated to Dead by Daylight) in the future. For instance, the Pinhead NFT will allow owners to unlock the character in other games that are now in development.”
So, what exactly is an NFT? The abbreviated term stands for Non-fungible token and it’s basically a way of using blockchain technology to allow people to claim digital ownership over an image or piece of artwork that can be found online.
While some people are in favor of the idea, many have criticized the sale of NFTs from a number of angles. Concerns in the area range from those questioning what level of ownership a person actually has when purchasing an NFT to worries surrounding their environmental impact of NFT sales and reports of scamming in some sales.
For a number of Dead by Daylight fans, the issue around the use of Pinhead as an NFT comes as a matter of transparency with many suggesting that the game’s developer, Behaviour Interactive, should have been clearer about the character’s inclusion as an NFT before its in-game content dropped. Twitter user @vetrix_tron summed up this argument by stating: “Honestly today has left me feeling very conflicted. I really enjoy playing Pinhead, he’s slowly become one of my favorite killers, but knowing I was tricked into funding some NFT scam makes me feel shitty.”
this is something they really should have disclosed prior to release. i love pinhead but had i known his model would be used as an NFT that BHVR worked with and approved of, i wouldn’t have bought him
— 🎃halloweenclowns🎃 saw halloween kills (@carouselshotgun) October 18, 2021
Honestly today has left me feeling very conflicted. I really enjoy playing Pinhead, he’s slowly become one of my favorite killers, but knowing I was tricked into funding some NFT scam makes me feel shitty.
— Vector 🎃 (@vetrix_tron) October 19, 2021
As for Behaviour itself, the studio tweeted a statement last week discussing its role in the situation. “Recently there’s been some talk about NFTs, so we wanted to clear some things up,” the studio said. “When we work with our licensing partners, we provide them with in-game models as well as Chapter keys. They are free to use these however they see fit as the rightful owners of these characters.” The studio went on to echo similar statements surrounding the NFTs to Boss Protocol, stating that there would be “no exclusive in-game content linked to these models when they are distributed outside of the game in any way.”
For more from Dead by Daylight, check out the content leaving the store later this year, the Hour of the Witch DLC reveal, and where it ranks in our favourite PC horror games. And if you love Dead by Daylight, be sure to check out the upcoming game Propnight.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.