Carl Grimes Excluded from Dead by Daylight

A recent livestream clarifies why The Walking Dead character Carl Grimes cannot join Dead by Daylight due to age rules.

Carl Grimes Excluded from Dead by Daylight

A Dead by Daylight livestream on August 11, 2025 with BeHaviour Interactive staff and guests including Chandler Riggs failed to produce a playable match for about 40 minutes because of technical difficulties. The stream nonetheless revealed a clear reason why Carl Grimes will not become a Legendary Survivor: his age at the end of The Walking Dead is 14–15, and the game does not age up characters whose story ended underage. The information was relayed by Dvveet on X, who quoted the team saying Carl Grimes will not be a Legendary Survivor due to age limitations. Mathiue Cote has previously explained that the game does not kill children, a rule that shapes which characters can be Survivors versus Killers.

The discussion also touched on broader licensing and design choices behind crossovers. While fans have seen Rick and Michonne, and even Daryl as a legendary skin, the rule that underage characters can be killers but cannot be Survivors remains a constraint. The livestream’s failure to run a match did not dim the fact that the studio is balancing fan demand with the game’s established narrative clock and safety standards.

The situation highlights how Dead by Daylight treats source material with a careful clock: crossovers must fit the game’s rules, not just fan wishes. Age restrictions act as a guardrail, ensuring that characters’ arcs stay coherent within the Killing Time universe. In practice, this means licensing deals and in‑game roles are negotiated around a clear premise rather than a flexible wish list. The result is a roster that feels curated, not improvised, which can disappoint fans who hoped for more Walking Dead representation.

Highlights

Crossovers will be shaped by rules as much as by dreams of fans.