A Horror Icon Is Prepared For A Bloody Return To Gaming

A yr after his final solo foray into gaming was lower shockingly brief by rights points and sunsetting servers, horror icon Jason Vorhees is getting one other likelihood to convey his murderous rampages to consoles and PC.

Horror Inc., the corporate behind the newly launched “Jason Universe,” introduced {that a} new Friday the thirteenth online game is within the works. Horror Inc. Vice President Robbie Barsamian spilled his guts on the undertaking over the weekend at San Diego Comic Con, as first reported by horror web site Bloody Disgusting. The recreation is being produced alongside a brand new movie undertaking, and a so-called “short-vignette” releasing subsequent month that may kick off this new period for the hockey mask-wearing slashing machine.

“I can tell you that a new sequel movie and a new sequel game are at the top of our list. It’s where most of our energy’s going right now. And I can tell you finally we’re in a position to deliver on that,” Barsamian mentioned. “While we’re not officially announcing with our partners today, both are coming. They’re both in the works and they’re both coming.”

Horror Inc. first announced its curiosity in remodeling the dormant Friday the thirteenth franchise right into a multimedia powerhouse in May 2024. Reminding followers that it plans to observe by on that promise is a reassuring replace for followers who nonetheless really feel burned by the sudden demise of 2017’s sleeper hit, Friday the thirteenth: The Game.

The now-defunct uneven multiplayer recreation tasked seven teen survivors stranded close to Crystal Lake with escaping a near-invincible Jason. It was an awesome recreation, particularly with pals. While it by no means reached the recognition of Dead By Daylight (which launched across the identical time), Friday the thirteenth: The Game was extra of a loving send-up of Jason Voorhees particularly. It included dozens of neat references to the movies and their complicated continuity, recreation mechanics that felt true to its star antagonists, and unlockable skins that represented each incarnation of the character.

Unfortunately, for 4 years, the sport wasn’t up to date, as an ongoing legal dispute over the rights to the Friday the thirteenth franchise halted all productions that includes the character. Developer IllFonic had vital plans for future updates after its profitable launch, however all of these updates had been placed on maintain indefinitely till the dispute was settled in court docket. The pause resulted in layoffs on the studio and the sport’s sluggish demise. In 2023, the multiplayer-only recreation was delisted from all digital platforms. In 2024, its servers had been shut down for good.

It’s a tragic story that has grow to be all too widespread within the gaming area, as online game preservation nonetheless lags woefully behind that of movie and music. Friday the thirteenth: The Game was particularly harsh since Illfonic’s momentum was stopped at no fault of its personal.

It’s doubtless Horror Inc. understands how a lot of a missed alternative Friday the thirteenth: The Game was, as Barsamian was an government producer on the sport. While a revival of Illfonic’s unique premise can be superior, there’s additionally a giant alternative to reinvent what a canonical recreation starring Jason may very well be. A collaboration with a studio like Bloober Team, which has finished exceptionally effectively with 2024’s Silent Hill 2 remake, may very well be an fascinating twist on a survival horror recreation starring the style’s most well-known assassin.

For gamers searching for their repair of iconic horror characters, Michael Myers and Evil Dead’s Ash Williams starred in their very own colourful 2D sidescrollers simply final yr. Developer Boss Team constructed the 2 video games in tandem, and lets gamers insert Myers into the world of Evil Dead and vice-versa in the event that they personal each titles.