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Is The Friday The 13th Game Coming Back? The Official Sequel, Server Shutdown, And Jason Voorhees' Digital Future

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The simple answer to whether *Friday the 13th: The Game* will come back is a definitive and complex "No, but Yes." The original asymmetrical horror title developed by Gun Interactive and IllFonic is permanently gone, having been delisted from all digital storefronts on December 31, 2023, due to an expiring license. Crucially, the game’s dedicated servers were officially shut down on December 31, 2024, rendering the beloved multiplayer experience unplayable, though a limited offline bot mode remains for those who purchased it before the delisting. This marks the end of an era for the 2017 hit, a game that perfectly captured the cinematic terror of Camp Crystal Lake. The good news, however, is that the franchise is far from finished, with an official sequel game now confirmed to be in development as of this December 21, 2025 update.

The saga of the *Friday the 13th* video game is a perfect case study in how complex licensing and legal battles can derail a successful project. The original game’s sudden halt in content updates and eventual demise was a direct result of a decade-long legal dispute over the franchise's rights. However, the announcement of a new, official video game sequel—part of a massive "Jason Universe" initiative from the rights holders—is the strongest indication yet that Jason Voorhees is set to return to the digital realm in a major way, completely bypassing the issues that killed the first game.

The Legal Quagmire That Killed the Original Game

The 2017 *Friday the 13th: The Game* was a critical and commercial success, pioneering the asymmetrical multiplayer horror genre alongside titles like *Dead by Daylight*. Despite its popularity, the game received its last new content update—the Grendel map—in 2018. This abrupt halt was not due to a lack of interest from the developers, Gun Interactive, but was instead a direct consequence of a massive, multi-year legal battle over the franchise's intellectual property (IP).

The Victor Miller vs. Sean S. Cunningham Lawsuit

The core issue lay in a complex copyright termination lawsuit between two key figures in the franchise's history: Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham.

  • Victor Miller: The screenwriter of the original 1980 film, *Friday the 13th*. Miller sought to reclaim the domestic US rights to the screenplay under US copyright law, which allows creators to terminate a rights transfer after a certain period.
  • Sean S. Cunningham: The director and producer of the original film, whose company, Horror Inc., owned the franchise's rights, including the iconic look of the adult Jason Voorhees and the title *Friday the 13th*.

Miller ultimately won the rights to the original script and characters, including the character of Pamela Voorhees and the specific version of Jason (a young boy in a lake) from the first film. However, the ruling was nuanced, as Cunningham's company retained the rights to the adult, hockey-mask-wearing Jason and the elements introduced in the sequels. This split ownership created a legal "no man's land" where neither party could produce new content without the other's cooperation, effectively freezing the franchise, including the video game.

Facing this perpetual legal uncertainty, Gun Interactive was legally prohibited from releasing any new content, including new Jason variations, maps, or counselors. The license itself was set to expire, and after six years, the publisher confirmed the game would be delisted on December 31, 2023, with the servers following suit a year later.

The Official Return: A New Friday the 13th Sequel Game

The question of "will the *Friday the 13th* game come back" was officially answered with a resounding "Yes, in a new form." The announcement came from Horror Inc., the company managing the franchise, as part of a massive new cross-media initiative dubbed the "Jason Universe."

At a major convention in 2025, Horror Inc. confirmed that a sequel video game to the 2017 title is officially in development. This news is significant because it strongly suggests that the years-long legal disputes have been resolved, or at least a cooperative agreement has been established between the key rights holders, Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham, allowing new projects to move forward without the threat of a lawsuit.

What We Know About the New Jason Voorhees Game

While the confirmation of a sequel is exciting, details remain scarce as of late 2025. This is what is currently known about the future of the *Friday the 13th* digital franchise:

  • Status: Officially in development as a "sequel game."
  • Rights Holder: The project is being managed under the umbrella of the Jason Universe initiative by Horror Inc.
  • Developer: The developer has not been officially announced. It is highly unlikely that Gun Interactive or IllFonic will be involved, as both companies have moved on to other asymmetrical horror titles.
  • Release Date: No release window has been provided. Given the early stage of the announcement, the game is likely years away from launch.
  • Format: The sequel is expected to retain the asymmetrical multiplayer format that made the original so successful, pitting a single, powerful Jason Voorhees against a team of vulnerable counselors at Camp Crystal Lake or other iconic franchise locations.

The new game's existence confirms a fresh start, allowing a new studio to build upon the foundation of the original while avoiding the legal pitfalls that plagued its predecessor. This is a massive win for fans who have waited years for the return of the iconic slasher to the gaming world.

The Spiritual Successors to Friday the 13th: The Game

In the absence of an official *Friday the 13th* game, the original developers and others have moved on to create "spiritual successors" that carry the torch of the asymmetrical horror genre. These titles are essential for fans looking for a similar gameplay experience while they wait for the official sequel to arrive.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game

The original developer, IllFonic, has taken its expertise in the 1v7 asymmetrical format and applied it to the cult classic 1988 film, *Killer Klowns from Outer Space*. This title features a similar structure: a team of humans trying to survive against a group of powerful, bizarre killers. IllFonic’s experience with the engine and mechanics of *Friday the 13th: The Game* is clearly visible in this new project.

SummerCamp and Halloween

Another title explicitly marketed as a spiritual successor is SummerCamp. This game promises to lean heavily into the retro slasher aesthetic, directly appealing to the *Friday the 13th* fanbase. Furthermore, IllFonic has also announced a game based on the Halloween franchise, featuring Michael Myers, which is also described as a spiritual successor to their work on the Jason Voorhees title, complete with the addition of a single-player story mode which was highly requested by the *F13* community.

These successor games showcase the lasting impact of the original *Friday the 13th* video game. While fans mourn the loss of the original, these new titles—along with the confirmed official sequel—ensure that the unique terror of a slasher killer hunting down hapless victims in a multiplayer setting will continue to thrive for years to come.

The original game may be gone, but the digital future of Jason Voorhees is brighter than it has been in nearly a decade. The confirmation of a new, officially licensed sequel game under the Jason Universe banner resolves the lingering question of the franchise's return, promising a fresh, legally sound, and exciting new chapter for the slasher icon's fans.

Is the Friday the 13th Game Coming Back? The Official Sequel, Server Shutdown, and Jason Voorhees' Digital Future
will friday the 13th game come back
will friday the 13th game come back

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