Ice Nine Kills Step Into Dead by Daylight With “Play Dead”
Revealed as part of Dead by Daylight’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Ice Nine Kills is entering the world of Dead by Daylight with their new single “Play Dead”. This is a full-scale integration of the band’s horror-first identity into one of gaming’s most iconic asymmetrical multiplayer spaces. For longtime players and horror fans, it hits that very specific sweet spot where music, lore, and interactive terror all overlap.
Ice Nine Kills worked directly with longtime Dead by Daylight composer Michel F. April, which shows in how the track leans into the game’s signature tension... eerie build, controlled chaos, and that constant sense that something is about to go very wrong. It doesn’t feel like a song inspired by the game... it feels like it belongs in the Fog.
Dead by Daylight has built its reputation on being a kind of horror multiverse... pulling in legends from film, TV, and gaming into a shared, blood-soaked playground. With over 70 million players, it thrives on recognizable energy. Ice Nine Kills slot into that ecosystem almost too perfectly, given their track record of building music around cinematic horror moments. From Scream to Terrifier to Ready or Not, they’ve been quietly assembling their own interconnected horror universe... and now those two worlds are colliding.
The in-game Ice Nine Kills Collection pushes this even further, giving players a way to wear that crossover in matches. It’s a smart move... not just fan service, but identity signaling in a game where cosmetics are part of the storytelling.
Then there’s the music video... which, in true INK fashion, refuses to be just a music video. It expands their ongoing narrative with a lineup that feels like a love letter to horror and alt-culture crossover appeal. Devon Sawa (Final Destination, Casper) brings that nostalgic genre credibility, while Krsy Fox (Terrifier 3) continues her rise as a modern scream queen. And then there’s Tony Hawk... which sounds chaotic on paper, but weirdly makes perfect sense when you remember how tightly skate culture, gaming, and punk-adjacent music have always been intertwined. It’s that layered understanding of subculture that gives this collab its edge.
In a recent interview Spencer Charnas describes having always described Ice Nine Kills as existing between menace and mischief... and “Play Dead” leans fully into that duality. There’s theatricality here, but also precision. It’s calculated chaos, designed to resonate with both horror purists and players who just want their next match to feel a little more cinematic. And for Dead by Daylight, a game built on celebrating horror in all its forms, this kind of collaboration isn’t just fitting... it’s essential.
“Play Dead” is available now, alongside its accompanying music video, with the in-game collection rolling out as part of the ongoing anniversary content.
If nothing else, it’s proof that the line between horror media and horror gaming keeps getting thinner... and honestly, it’s more fun that way.