On June 11, 2018, Gun Media announced there will be no future content added to Friday The 13th The Game due to a lawsuit over the film’s rights. The development of the game had been unaffected by the ongoing legal battle, and Gun Media was expecting a decision on the case in October 2017. Due to the court review being in process, they can’t make new content until the case is dismissed or resolved.

“When we originally learned that the game fell within the crosshairs of this legal dispute, we tried to balance the creation of new content requested by our fans against the maintenance and bug fixing that our community expects and deserves. We attempted to do both within the limits of the legal case.”

Developer IllFonic already had plans for new content but will now have to leave it on hold. This included an Uber Jason, new characters, map, and emotes. “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.” Despite this, Gun Media stated they are committed to adding dedicated servers for consoles and will continue to support the game.

Friday The 13th The Game initially started as Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp. IllFonic met with the right’s holder, Sean S. Cunningham, and was able to secure the license for their game. Summer Camp was then renamed to Friday The 13th The Game. Cunningham was the director of the first film and is in a dispute over the rights with screenwriter Victor Miller who wrote the first film.

Friday The 13th The Game had a rough start but some players still stuck around. IllFonic continued to update the game and iron things out. Throughout 2017, they dropped downloadable content and had a few major updates. One update made the game feel like new again. The smaller updates featured new Jasons, maps, and characters. Their major updates included an engine overhaul and single player content, such as the virtual cabin 2.0, which showcased the franchise’s lore and props.

It’s unfortunate Friday The 13th The Game has now been affected by this case when they spent months upgrading their engine but hopefully Gun Media is in a good spot. Although new content won’t be available soon, the game is being featured on Playstation Plus (PS Plus) for October. Every month, PS Plus subscribers get two free games. This makes the game available to millions of players. It’s good timing for fans of Friday The 13th, and horror fans in general. With this influx of players, there won’t be a shortage of counselors running around Camp Crystal Lake anytime soon.

“Ki Ki Ki, Ma Ma Ma”

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Playing the Same Old Game

Legal Case Over Film's Rights Ceases Game Content - "A legal claim has been made which could affect all future Friday the 13th intellectual property"