Friday the 13th: The Game is Getting Dedicated Servers for Consoles

Dedicated Servers are Definitely on the Way

Kicking off his discussion with the best news, Strauss began by confirming that dedicated servers are indeed in the works.

"To start; we are currently working on dedicated servers for consoles. That is going to happen, however the time it is taking is rather substantial."

Most players would likely believe that switching over to dedicated servers is something that'll take a while to implement, but it did bring up the question once again of why there weren't dedicated servers put used for the console versions in the first place.

Still, the overwhelming response was that it was reassuring to have some positive news that was communicated so clearly, something that seems to be a trend with the recent overhaul of the game's site that now includes a news and patch notes section.

Host Migration isn't Going to Happen

With the news that dedicated servers were on the way, it was also confirmed that the same couldn't be said for host migration. Strauss confirmed that the dedicated servers was the route that they're taking with host migration not part of the future plans.

"Host Migration would take a very long time to implement, something in the neighborhood of six months or so with our team to be able to work without interruption," Strauss said. "It, unfortunately, is not a quick fix as some might believe."

He went on to explain that they typically see people leaving game as soon as the host leaves during testing, sometimes during a host migration that takes as long as a minute to complete. With how frequently players leave when they're killed, it could also result in multiple host migrations per match.

There's also the issue of swapping Jasons if the host plays as the killer and decides to leave. Changing to a new Jason is possible with dedicated servers, but not so much with host migration.

What to Expect from Dedicated Servers

Overall, the decision to add dedicated servers seems to be a huge step in the right direction for console gamers. Strauss writes that it's the smarter route for the game, saying that it's a "full fix" as opposed to a temporary one like host migration.

Working with an unnamed partner, it seems that dedicated servers are coming along pretty smoothly so far.

"We are getting close with our dedicated server system going live, however there are a lot of considerations we have to take into account," Strauss said. "We have been working with a partner on implementing our dedicated servers and they've been doing a tremendous job in the time they've had. This is something we've been working on for quite some time now, but want to remind fans that it remains a long process as well to fully implement, just like host migration would."

When Will Dedicated Servers be Ready?

But like with any announcement from game devs, players are hoping to get an idea of when the switch will be made to dedicated servers. "Pretty close" is a good sign, but a more definite timeframe was also given for the transition.

"We don't have a set date at this time," Strauss explained before giving a rough estimate. "We are aiming for late-September, but it is not out of the question that it might take more time and could go into October before we release."

The late-September timing would line up well with the release of the physical edition of the game on Friday the 13th in October, but it's unclear if that's going to happen given how involved the switch will be. The post mentioned having to get everything straightened out with Xbox and PlayStation first, something that players waiting on past patches are undoubtedly familiar with by now.

What are Your Thoughts on Dedicated Servers?