Trixie Mattel’s planned Dead by Daylight skin was scrapped after ‘ignorant’ comment, leaker claims
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 06: Trixie Mattel attends SiriusXM’s “Built With Audio” Event at Perelman Performing Arts Center on October 06, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images fo (Getty Images)
A planned Dead by Daylight collaboration with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Trixie Mattel reportedly fell apart after a developer allegedly made an “ignorant comment” that offended the drag queen’s team, according to a prominent leaker of news about the horror game.
The alleged collaboration would have seen Mattel appear as a legendary skin for Kate Denson, one of the game’s playable survivors. However, according to the leaker, negotiations took an unexpected turn after an allegedly offensive remark was made during discussions with developer Behaviour Interactive (BHVR).
The claims were shared by Dead by Daylight news and leak account @dvveet on 23 October. Neither the specific comment nor the identity of the developer involved has been disclosed, and the alleged incident has not been independently confirmed.
When approached by Them for comment, a BHVR spokesperson said: “We have no public statement to share. Please note that Dead by Daylight doesn’t comment on gossips and rumors.”
What happened to the Trixie Mattel collaboration?
According to @dvveet, Mattel was initially in talks to receive a legendary skin in 2023, potentially timed to coincide with LGBTQ+ Pride in 2024. Those plans were allegedly abandoned after she took a break from her career.
Mattel stepped back from work for several months in 2023, telling fans about her experiences with burnout and an autoimmune disorder.
The leaker claims that BHVR approached Mattel again the following year, but negotiations reportedly fell apart after a developer made what @dvveet described as an “ignorant” comment.
Although the leaker said they knew who allegedly made the remark, they declined to reveal the person’s identity because they did not know what the offensive comment entailed.
In the post, @dvveet said Mattel was “rightfully offended” and emphasised that she had every right to decide what she considered disrespectful.
The leaker also suggested that Mattel would have voiced the legendary skin herself, although it remains unclear whether the collaboration could ever be revisited.
The rumoured skin reportedly included outfits inspired by Mattel’s appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race, including her skater-girl entrance look from All Stars season three, which she won in 2018.
Trixie Mattel is a longtime Dead by Daylight fan
The alleged collapse of the collaboration is particularly disappointing for fans because Mattel has spoken openly about her love for Dead by Daylight for years.
In a 2019 video for Polygon, she revealed that she had already been playing the multiplayer survival horror game for around two years. That same year, she called it her “all-time favourite” while discussing her gaming interests on The Savage Situation podcast.
Mattel’s connection to the game has extended beyond playing it herself. In 2023, she hosted a Dead by Daylight tournament fundraiser for the LGBTQ+ youth-focused It Gets Better Project, with the game featuring the event on its official social media channels.
She has continued to reference the game in recent years. In January 2026, she posted on X that she was “a Quentin main”, referring to another of the game’s playable survivors.
The latest leak has prompted disappointment among fans, with players on Reddit expressing sympathy for Mattel and hoping that a collaboration might still happen in the future.
Dead by Daylight and LGBTQ+ representation
The rumoured collaboration would have built on the game’s relationship with its LGBTQ+ audience.
Originally released in 2016, Dead by Daylight pits a group of survivors against a killer in an asymmetrical multiplayer horror experience. Its player base includes a significant LGBTQ+ following, and the developers have previously acknowledged the importance of queer and trans fans to the game’s community.
In 2022, BHVR introduced David King as the game’s first explicitly LGBTQ+ playable character, acknowledging that its roster had not previously featured confirmed LGBTQ+ representation.
“One of the cornerstones of that community are our LGBTQIA2+ players, who continue to elevate Dead by Daylight with their tireless passion for horror, gaming, and of course – horror gaming,” the team said at the time.
The developers added that they had been determined to address the absence of out LGBTQ+ characters.
For fans, the possibility of playing as Mattel — an out queer drag performer who has repeatedly celebrated the game — would have been another opportunity to bring LGBTQ+ culture into the horror franchise.
For now, however, the alleged collaboration remains unconfirmed, and it is unclear whether Mattel and BHVR will work together in the future. The developer has declined to comment on the rumours, while the specific details surrounding the alleged remark remain unknown.
