Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13: The Game has been killed one more time: Fan-made 'Resurrection' project derailed by lawyers over 'cavalier disregard of copyright law'Apr 8, 2024 - PC Gamerplan to bring the not-quite-dead asymmetrical survival joint Friday the 13th: The Game back to life has been abandoned just days after it was announced thanks to a cease-and-desist letter accusing the project of "cavalier disregard of copyright law.".. Read more.Friday the 13th isn't returning after all as fan remake gets shut downApr 8, 2024 - PCGamesNOnce a rival to Dead By Daylight and precursor to the likes of Evil Dead of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th is unavailable to purchase on Steam and its official servers will be closed at the end of 2024. Attempting to keep the multiplayer horror game alive, a free-to-play fan remake was originally poised for a release date reveal in April. Now, however, the owners of various Friday the 13th copyrights have intervened and issued a cease and desist order. If you were hoping for an unofficial return for Friday the 13th, the online slasher, which to this day boasts a 'mostly positive' rating on Steam, appears to be dead for good. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: After being pulled from Steam, one horror game classic is finally back You won't be able to buy Friday the 13th next year Friday the 13th: The Game will shut down dedicated servers this month After being pulled from Steam, one horror game classic is finally backApr 2, 2024 - PCGamesNWhat's your favorite multiplayer horror game? Dead By Daylight is the simplest choice, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lethal Company, and Evil Dead definitely deserve a mention. Though it was DBD that formalized and popularized the asymmetrical slasher, all these rivals have successfully revamped the formula with their own tweaks, twists, and gimmicks. One of them, however, deserves a special mention. Adored by its players, it was sadly delisted from Steam at the end of 2023, with its official servers slated to go offline for good at the end of this year. Until recently, it seemed like this much-loved multiplayer murder-'em-up would be gone for good, but that's all about to change, thanks to an ambitious fan build that now has an imminent release date reveal. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: You won't be able to buy Friday the 13th next year Friday the 13th: The Game will shut down dedicated servers this month Friday the 13th: The Game halts new content development due to lawsuit There's just nine days left before Friday the 13th: The Game disappears from sale foreverDec 22, 2023 - PC GamerThere's just over a week left before Friday the 13th: The Game, the awkwardly titled yet surprisingly decent multiplayer slasher, sinks back into Camp Crystal Lake forever, as it's to be delisted from sale on December 31st... Read more.If Friday the 13th must die, it's going out with all players on a highJul 4, 2023 - PC GamerEarly June brought the sad news that the excellent Friday the 13th: The Game would be removed from sale at the end of the year and eventually become unplayable, due to the expiry of its license for the horror property . Despite its quality the game is now relatively old, and it unfortunately existed alongside the similar and hugely popular Dead by Daylight, but it had retained a solid player count: which is probably why publisher Gun Media has committed to keeping the servers online until the end of 2024... Read more.Friday the 13th: The Game's licencing issues catch up as it gets delisted this yearJun 11, 2023 - VG247Friday the 13th: The Game developer Gun Interactive has announced the asymmetrical multiplayer horror is being delisted at the end of the year. It seems that despite Jason being seemingly unkillable, even he can't withstand copyright issues, as Friday the 13th: The Game is being delisted on December 31, later this year. Developer Gun shared a statement earlier this week announcing the news, and unsurprisingly the reason isn't actually but about sales, but about the licence expiring. "The time has come. Our licence for Friday the 13th will expire on December 31st, 2023," reads the statement. "On that date, Friday the 13th: The Game will no longer be available for sale, both physically and digitally." For those that do still play the game, all hope isn't entirely lost, not just yet anyway, as you'll still be able to play the game through to December 31, 2024, as long as you already own it. "At this time, we've made the decision to reduce the price to $4.99 for the base game and $0.99 for each piece of DLC content. We will continue to offer the title and content at that price point right up until it is removed from digital/ physical storefronts on December 31st, 2023." Read more Horror story: As an actually good Friday the 13th game dies, another implacably risesJun 9, 2023 - PC GamerThis week brought the sad news that Friday the 13th: The Game, which has not had an easy ride of it over the years, is now ticking down the days until its closure . Publisher Gun Media's license expires on December 31 this year, at which point the Illfonic-developed game will no longer be offered for sale, and at the end of 2024 it will stop working completely. It's a sad end for a genuinely great asymmetrical horror experience... Read more.You won't be able to buy Friday the 13th next yearJun 8, 2023 - PCGamesNFriday the 13th is unfortunately shutting down all sales before the end of the year, but that isn't the end of its bad news. The horror game may also cease all function and operations after the turn of the following year, meaning that there is a limited amount of time left for you to play Friday the 13th if you have yet to experience the thrill of the slasher-styled chase Gun Media's iconic game has to offer. While the news is sad to report overall, some good has come out of it for prospective players as the developers have decided to permanently discount both the base game and its DLCs. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Friday the 13th: The Game will shut down dedicated servers this month Friday the 13th: The Game halts new content development due to lawsuit Friday the 13th video shows Jason protect the forest from a weeing teenager Like a relentless horror movie monster, Friday the 13th: The Game is finally going to die, but very, very slowlyJun 8, 2023 - PC GamerFriday the 13th: The Game has been a lot like a horror movie monster: No matter what's been done to it over the years, it just will not die. But today publisher Gun Media announced that the end is finally in sight: The company's license will expire on December 31, at which time it will no longer be offered for sale, and at some point after that it will stop working completely... Read more.Friday the 13th: The Game will shut down dedicated servers this monthNov 4, 2020 - PCGamesNFriday the 13th: The Game, which halted new development in the face of legal troubles in 2018, will shut down its dedicated servers when its next patch arrives this month. It will be the final patch for the multiplayer horror game. Gun Media lead community developer Matt Shotcha posted the announcement to the Friday the 13th: The Game's forums November 3. "All things must come to an end, eventually", he wrote, adding that while dedicated servers will be decommissioned soon, the multiplayer game will remain playable in peer-to-peer matchmaking for Quick Play lobbies. Gun Media is also keeping the game's database servers running, which means all your player progression and unlocks will remain intact. But there's no denying that this is an end, of sorts - one that became inevitable after a lawsuit between two of the creators of the original Friday the 13th film halted all new development on the game in 2018. While Gun Media could maintain the game by fixing bugs, it was barred from adding any new content while the lawsuit made its way through the US courts. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Friday the 13th: The Game halts new content development due to lawsuit Friday the 13th video shows Jason protect the forest from a weeing teenager Stolen Friday the 13th DLC codes net over $20,000 on eBay Friday the 13th getting final patch, shutting down dedicated servers in NovemberNov 3, 2020 - EurogamerGun Media is pulling the plug on asymmetric multiplayer horror Friday the 13th's dedicated servers later this month, and is delivering one final patch at the same time. Friday the 13th: The Game had a rocky start back in 2017, with a litany of bugs and technical issues threatening to undermine what was an otherwise solidly entertaining - and commercially successful - horror experience. Despite improvements, Gun Media then fell foul of a lawsuit relating to ownership of the Friday the 13th license, at which point it announced it would no longer be developing new content for the game. Even so, the community has remained. That rocky road, however, now appears to have reached something of an end; in a post on the official Friday the 13th: The Game forum, lead community developer Matt Shotcha confirmed that Gun Media will be 'decommissioning' the game's dedicated servers later this month, reverting back to the peer-to-peer networking favoured at launch. Read more Friday The 13th: The Game decapitates its dedicated serversNov 3, 2020 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Three years after its premiere, grindhouse 1v7 teen-smasher Friday The 13th: The Game has finally been defeated. This month, Gun Media are shutting down the multiplayer stab ’em up’s dedicated servers for good. But like any good movie monster, the game isn’t quite gone for good, and will shamble along for the foreseeable future through peer-to-peer matchmaking. (more…) Friday The 13th: The Game will close its dedicated servers after one final patchNov 3, 2020 - PC Gamerhttps://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cqppUdHAU6ERivxtBsdbZg.jpg https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cqppUdHAU6ERivxtBsdbZg.jpg Gun Media's lead community developer Matt Shotcha announced on the official Friday The 13th forums today that following the next patch, to be released sometime during November, dedicated servers for the asymmetrical survival game will be taken offline. That's not the end of the story, though: Quick Play will continue to function via peer to peer matchmaking after the update, and database servers will remain in place so players can still access the game in full, including private matches. In a tweet, co-creator Wes Keltner said that the team at Gun tried to keep the dedicated servers for as long as possible, but "felt this day was coming." Friday the 13th: The Game struggled with bugs and cheaters following its release in 2017, and in 2018 Gun Media halted plans for additional content due to a dispute between the original film's director Sean S. Cunningham and Friday the 13th script writer Victor Miller. Even so, it sold nearly two million copies in its first three months and developed a close-knit community of dedicated fans. The Friday the 13th forums will be also shut down, but Shotcha said they will be archived as a read-only version in order to function as a resource. Friday the 13th's final patch is set to address a "long list" of player issues, with patch notes to follow at a later date. The game will remain on sale and bugs can still be reported via the dedicated website JasonKillsBugs.com. Friday the 13th’s Steam Summer Sale Has Brought Jason Back from the Dead by Slashing 80% Off the PriceJul 1, 2019 - GitHypAfter a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised almost $1 million, Friday the 13th: The Game debuted as the No. 21 most played game on Steam and No. 2 most watched game on Twitch back in May 2017.
Despite its many technical flaws, feedback was mostly positive for the game’s unique 7 vs. 1 multiplayer mechanics that did the franchise justice, bringing Camp Crystal Lake to life with surprisingly good graphics.
But shortly after its launch, players quickly started losing interest in the game with the developers taking too long to fix game-breaking bugs and release new content.
And for fans following updates on IllFonic and Gun Media’s horror game since then, it’s been more of a drama with an ongoing lawsuit between the original creators of the franchise -- leading to a lot of finger-pointing as to who is actually to blame for the lack of new game content.
Last summer, Gun Media revealed that they would not be releasing any new content for the game, no matter what the outcome of the lawsuit were to be. As a result, player counts over the past year have dropped to an average of only 300 players on Steam.
Now, during Valve’s annual Steam Summer Sale, the game has been discounted by another 80%, down to just $4. And the player base has jumped back into Steam’s top 100 most played games with a peak of 4.7k concurrent players over the weekend.
With no new content planned for Friday the 13th, the player base will likely die back down soon as we've seen happen before... but for only $4, now is probably your last chance to take a trip to Camp Crystal Lake while the online community is still alive and happy with the current state of the game.Patch Notes - 1.29.19Jan 30, 2019 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/24981309/53c7d983cd84b4f39dac9cbc4819f8db6d970ac8.png Patch Notes - Friday the 13th: The Game - January 2019 Patch PATCH WILL BE LIVE ON STEAM JANUARY 30TH HOTFIX: The kill process for Jason UI Bug This hotfix has been submitted and is rolling out to platforms as soon as possible. INTERACTION LOCK The team has fixed various interaction lock issues, including: Stumbling while dropping an item Entering Combat Stance while swinging weapon CONNECTIVITY AND CRASHES Multiple connectivity/crash fixes including: Network Error after joining lobby in Quick Play “Need Updated Client” error ENVIRONMENT AND COLLISION General Fixed an issue where an invisible collision would occur at the barn fence on Pinehurst, causing the car to shift vertically after restarting the car. Fixed an exploit where counselors could use the car as a barricade at Jason’s shack, affecting several maps. Fixed an issue where the counselors could control their directional axis while climbing through windows, allowing them to reach unplayable areas of the maps. Fixed an issue where counselors are able to reach the rooftop of the Pinehurst Halfway House by escaping Jason's grab with a pocket knife. Falling Animation Loop - Fixed various areas where players enter a falling animation and cannot continue, including: Firewood Logs on Pinehurst Map Cardboard Box on Packanack Map Coffee Table in Jarvis House Counselor Catch - Fixed various spots that could snag the counselors and make them unable to move, including: Cemetery fence on the Crystal Lake map. Safe Spots - Fixed various safe spots where the counselors are unreachable once entered, including: The cemetery in Higgin’s Haven Parking the car inside the barn on Pinehurst USER INTERFACE Fixed an issue disabling the “More Emotes” button. Fixed the Morph Cursor not showing on Xbox One. BALANCING AND TUNING Jason - Buffing Mother’s Special, Special Boy. Weapon Swing - Jason can now swing his equipped weapon to hit multiple targets at once. This will help Jason defend himself against bullies. Stun - It is no longer possible to Stun Jason while he is in Rage Mode unless using a shotgun or Pamela’s sweater. Rage Indicator will show on the minimap when Jason enters Rage Mode. Counselors - They should have been watching him. Tommy Jarvis - Players who kill themselves cannot come back as Tommy Jarvis. ****Killing Jason is unchanged.****PRICE CHOP: Friday the 13th: The Game Price ReducedDec 7, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/24981309/c1a47d9ebd66947fe2b88302ac0bcf5958384a1b.png Friday the 13th: The Game incoming PRICE CHOP! We're reducing the base game price permanently, starting today Dec. 7th, every platform! $19.99 USDGet Dead by Daylight and BioShock Remastered in the Humble Spooky Horror BundleAug 21, 2018 - PC GamerHalloween is almost here, right? No? Well, whatever. The Humble Bundlers may have jumped the gun a bit with the Humble Spooky Horror Bundle 2018, but it's still a very solid collection of horror games, especially if you (for some reason) still haven't played BioShock. First things first, though: The $1 will get you White Noise 2, Layers of Fear, How to Survive, and How to Survive 2. Beating the average gets you to BioShock territory—specifically the outstanding BioShock Remastered, plus Detention and Yomawari: Night Alone. I'm not familiar with either of those, sorry to say, but they certainly look interesting. Top your payment out at $15 or more and you'll also score Friday the 13th: The Game, which unfortunately is kind of a dead issue these days, and Dead by Daylight, which is most definitely not—in fact, it's in the midst of the Scorching Summer BBQ event. The bundle also includes free bonus content for Star Trek Online and the White Noise 2 soundtrack. It will be available for purchase until 11 am PT/2 pm ET on September 4. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info. Friday the 13th s content update plans meet a grisly endJun 22, 2018 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThat Jason Voorhees fellow is a rather intimidating chap, I’ll give you that much, but you know what’s scarier? Lawyers. By all accounts, Friday the 13th: The Game was surprisingly fun when played with the right group, with room to grow as the developers released more maps, content and features. They’d been doing well up til’ now, even adding bots to play against late last year, but a legal dispute over who owns the original film rights has left developers IllFonic unable to continue, and today they admitted that they’ve moved on to new projects entirely. (more…) Friday the 13th gets permanently axedJun 22, 2018 - PC GamerFriday the 13th was actually quite a bit of fun when it came out last year—with the right group of players, at least—and showed real potential for future improvements, too. Sadly, publisher Gun Media has now confirmed that potential will never be realized, as new content development has been permanently ended. "I wanted to address a few questions that I’ve had sent to me personally, as well as questions we’ve received through the official F13 channels. These questions vary but all have a similar tone/request. 'Is there a chance of any content being added to the game if a ruling on the dispute occurs in the near future?'," Gun Media founder and president Wes Keltner wrote on the Friday the 13th forums. "The answer is no." "Development on games can’t just pause indefinitely and pick back up again; it doesn’t work that way. Especially when you have no idea when that future date will occur. We can’t keep building content that may never see the light of day. That’s bad business." The problem arose from a legal dispute between the creators of the original film, and the ensuing question of who actually owns it. I expressed hope at the time that a resolution of the lawsuits might see development resumed, despite how long the legal battle has already dragged on, but it was a faint hope at best, and this outcome really isn't surprising. Keltner added that it's also not possible to add new content, like original locations or counselors, even if it's unrelated to Friday the 13th. "We can’t add any content, whatsoever. Nada. Not even a new tree or rock," he wrote. "We can only focus on console dedicated servers, bug fixes, and maintenance." "I know this isn’t the news you wanted to hear and I wish the situation were different. But it’s the painful truth." Friday the 13th content development halted over ownership disputeJun 11, 2018 - PC GamerGun Media has announced that because of a legal battle over the rights to the franchise, development of new content for Friday the 13th: The Game has been put on hold. The trouble is rooted in an ongoing dispute between Victor Miller, the writer of the original film, and Sean Cunningham, the producer and director of the film and current rights holder. As the Hollywood Reporter explained last year, Miller is attempting to reclaim his right to the property under a provision of US copyright law, while Cunningham says that the concept, creative direction, and financing of the film all came from him, and that Miller wrote it as work-for-hire and thus has no legitimate claim to it. And while that dispute works itself out, Gun Media said in a statement sent to 1428 Elm that it has no choice but to hit the pause button on future Friday the 13th game development. "We’ve now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and Counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future. Although the listed content types will be affected, we remain committed to launching dedicated servers on our console platforms and providing the continued maintenance and bug fixing important to supporting our fan base," it said. "So what does this mean exactly? There will be no additional content added to Friday the 13th: The Game. This includes 'Uber Jason', The Grendel Map, Jason Kill Packs, Clothing, Emotes and new Counselors." The statement makes no mention of what about the legal situation has changed to spur this sudden postponement, but Miller's claim on Friday the 13th goes all the way back to June 2016 and so it could be simply the apparent endlessness of the whole thing that drove Gun Media to finally throw in the towel. It's possible that new content creation will resume if and when the legal battle over the game has been resolved, but the Gun Media statement has a certain ring of finality to it—if nothing else, you probably don't want to hold your breath while you wait. I've emailed the company for more information and will update if I receive a reply. Lawsuit will block Friday the 13th: The Game getting any new content ever, it sounds likeJun 11, 2018 - EurogamerThere won't be - can't be - any new content made for Friday the 13th: The Game because of the messy Hollywood battle over ownership of the franchise. Last summer Victor Miller, scriptwriter of the the original Friday the 13th film, decided the rights were his and set out to reclaim them, triggering a ongoing legal battle with those who believed otherwise. The outcome still isn't decided but something has happened to convince Gun Media, publisher of Friday the 13th: The Game, developing new content for the game is "unfeasible now or in the future". Read more…
And for fans following updates on IllFonic and Gun Media’s horror game since then, it’s been more of a drama with an ongoing lawsuit between the original creators of the franchise -- leading to a lot of finger-pointing as to who is actually to blame for the lack of new game content.
Last summer, Gun Media revealed that they would not be releasing any new content for the game, no matter what the outcome of the lawsuit were to be. As a result, player counts over the past year have dropped to an average of only 300 players on Steam.
Now, during Valve’s annual Steam Summer Sale, the game has been discounted by another 80%, down to just $4. And the player base has jumped back into Steam’s top 100 most played games with a peak of 4.7k concurrent players over the weekend.
With no new content planned for Friday the 13th, the player base will likely die back down soon as we've seen happen before... but for only $4, now is probably your last chance to take a trip to Camp Crystal Lake while the online community is still alive and happy with the current state of the game.Patch Notes - 1.29.19Jan 30, 2019 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/24981309/53c7d983cd84b4f39dac9cbc4819f8db6d970ac8.png Patch Notes - Friday the 13th: The Game - January 2019 Patch PATCH WILL BE LIVE ON STEAM JANUARY 30TH HOTFIX: The kill process for Jason UI Bug This hotfix has been submitted and is rolling out to platforms as soon as possible. INTERACTION LOCK The team has fixed various interaction lock issues, including: Stumbling while dropping an item Entering Combat Stance while swinging weapon CONNECTIVITY AND CRASHES Multiple connectivity/crash fixes including: Network Error after joining lobby in Quick Play “Need Updated Client” error ENVIRONMENT AND COLLISION General Fixed an issue where an invisible collision would occur at the barn fence on Pinehurst, causing the car to shift vertically after restarting the car. Fixed an exploit where counselors could use the car as a barricade at Jason’s shack, affecting several maps. Fixed an issue where the counselors could control their directional axis while climbing through windows, allowing them to reach unplayable areas of the maps. Fixed an issue where counselors are able to reach the rooftop of the Pinehurst Halfway House by escaping Jason's grab with a pocket knife. Falling Animation Loop - Fixed various areas where players enter a falling animation and cannot continue, including: Firewood Logs on Pinehurst Map Cardboard Box on Packanack Map Coffee Table in Jarvis House Counselor Catch - Fixed various spots that could snag the counselors and make them unable to move, including: Cemetery fence on the Crystal Lake map. Safe Spots - Fixed various safe spots where the counselors are unreachable once entered, including: The cemetery in Higgin’s Haven Parking the car inside the barn on Pinehurst USER INTERFACE Fixed an issue disabling the “More Emotes” button. Fixed the Morph Cursor not showing on Xbox One. BALANCING AND TUNING Jason - Buffing Mother’s Special, Special Boy. Weapon Swing - Jason can now swing his equipped weapon to hit multiple targets at once. This will help Jason defend himself against bullies. Stun - It is no longer possible to Stun Jason while he is in Rage Mode unless using a shotgun or Pamela’s sweater. Rage Indicator will show on the minimap when Jason enters Rage Mode. Counselors - They should have been watching him. Tommy Jarvis - Players who kill themselves cannot come back as Tommy Jarvis. ****Killing Jason is unchanged.****PRICE CHOP: Friday the 13th: The Game Price ReducedDec 7, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/24981309/c1a47d9ebd66947fe2b88302ac0bcf5958384a1b.png Friday the 13th: The Game incoming PRICE CHOP! We're reducing the base game price permanently, starting today Dec. 7th, every platform! $19.99 USDGet Dead by Daylight and BioShock Remastered in the Humble Spooky Horror BundleAug 21, 2018 - PC GamerHalloween is almost here, right? No? Well, whatever. The Humble Bundlers may have jumped the gun a bit with the Humble Spooky Horror Bundle 2018, but it's still a very solid collection of horror games, especially if you (for some reason) still haven't played BioShock. First things first, though: The $1 will get you White Noise 2, Layers of Fear, How to Survive, and How to Survive 2. Beating the average gets you to BioShock territory—specifically the outstanding BioShock Remastered, plus Detention and Yomawari: Night Alone. I'm not familiar with either of those, sorry to say, but they certainly look interesting. Top your payment out at $15 or more and you'll also score Friday the 13th: The Game, which unfortunately is kind of a dead issue these days, and Dead by Daylight, which is most definitely not—in fact, it's in the midst of the Scorching Summer BBQ event. The bundle also includes free bonus content for Star Trek Online and the White Noise 2 soundtrack. It will be available for purchase until 11 am PT/2 pm ET on September 4. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info. Friday the 13th s content update plans meet a grisly endJun 22, 2018 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThat Jason Voorhees fellow is a rather intimidating chap, I’ll give you that much, but you know what’s scarier? Lawyers. By all accounts, Friday the 13th: The Game was surprisingly fun when played with the right group, with room to grow as the developers released more maps, content and features. They’d been doing well up til’ now, even adding bots to play against late last year, but a legal dispute over who owns the original film rights has left developers IllFonic unable to continue, and today they admitted that they’ve moved on to new projects entirely. (more…) Friday the 13th gets permanently axedJun 22, 2018 - PC GamerFriday the 13th was actually quite a bit of fun when it came out last year—with the right group of players, at least—and showed real potential for future improvements, too. Sadly, publisher Gun Media has now confirmed that potential will never be realized, as new content development has been permanently ended. "I wanted to address a few questions that I’ve had sent to me personally, as well as questions we’ve received through the official F13 channels. These questions vary but all have a similar tone/request. 'Is there a chance of any content being added to the game if a ruling on the dispute occurs in the near future?'," Gun Media founder and president Wes Keltner wrote on the Friday the 13th forums. "The answer is no." "Development on games can’t just pause indefinitely and pick back up again; it doesn’t work that way. Especially when you have no idea when that future date will occur. We can’t keep building content that may never see the light of day. That’s bad business." The problem arose from a legal dispute between the creators of the original film, and the ensuing question of who actually owns it. I expressed hope at the time that a resolution of the lawsuits might see development resumed, despite how long the legal battle has already dragged on, but it was a faint hope at best, and this outcome really isn't surprising. Keltner added that it's also not possible to add new content, like original locations or counselors, even if it's unrelated to Friday the 13th. "We can’t add any content, whatsoever. Nada. Not even a new tree or rock," he wrote. "We can only focus on console dedicated servers, bug fixes, and maintenance." "I know this isn’t the news you wanted to hear and I wish the situation were different. But it’s the painful truth." Friday the 13th content development halted over ownership disputeJun 11, 2018 - PC GamerGun Media has announced that because of a legal battle over the rights to the franchise, development of new content for Friday the 13th: The Game has been put on hold. The trouble is rooted in an ongoing dispute between Victor Miller, the writer of the original film, and Sean Cunningham, the producer and director of the film and current rights holder. As the Hollywood Reporter explained last year, Miller is attempting to reclaim his right to the property under a provision of US copyright law, while Cunningham says that the concept, creative direction, and financing of the film all came from him, and that Miller wrote it as work-for-hire and thus has no legitimate claim to it. And while that dispute works itself out, Gun Media said in a statement sent to 1428 Elm that it has no choice but to hit the pause button on future Friday the 13th game development. "We’ve now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and Counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future. Although the listed content types will be affected, we remain committed to launching dedicated servers on our console platforms and providing the continued maintenance and bug fixing important to supporting our fan base," it said. "So what does this mean exactly? There will be no additional content added to Friday the 13th: The Game. This includes 'Uber Jason', The Grendel Map, Jason Kill Packs, Clothing, Emotes and new Counselors." The statement makes no mention of what about the legal situation has changed to spur this sudden postponement, but Miller's claim on Friday the 13th goes all the way back to June 2016 and so it could be simply the apparent endlessness of the whole thing that drove Gun Media to finally throw in the towel. It's possible that new content creation will resume if and when the legal battle over the game has been resolved, but the Gun Media statement has a certain ring of finality to it—if nothing else, you probably don't want to hold your breath while you wait. I've emailed the company for more information and will update if I receive a reply. Lawsuit will block Friday the 13th: The Game getting any new content ever, it sounds likeJun 11, 2018 - EurogamerThere won't be - can't be - any new content made for Friday the 13th: The Game because of the messy Hollywood battle over ownership of the franchise. Last summer Victor Miller, scriptwriter of the the original Friday the 13th film, decided the rights were his and set out to reclaim them, triggering a ongoing legal battle with those who believed otherwise. The outcome still isn't decided but something has happened to convince Gun Media, publisher of Friday the 13th: The Game, developing new content for the game is "unfeasible now or in the future". Read more…
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