Earlier today, the Jason Universe was announced by Horror, Inc. The initiative will see a major expansion of content based on the Friday the 13th franchise, including new movies, merchandise, and video games. While details are pretty slim at the moment, it seems part of this initiative will see Jason Vorhees content in multiple video games. At this time, we don’t have any concrete details, but an official Jason Universe Twitter account is now live, and it’s following just a few users on the platform, including the accounts for Fortnite and Call of Duty. That seems to be a pretty big hint about the future!ย
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When Will Jason Come to Fortnite and Call of Duty?
It’s possible Epic Games and Activision will hold off on any kind of official announcement, and we have no idea when it might actually happen. However it’s worth noting that the next 13th that falls on a Friday happens in September. It’s very possible that’s when we could see Jason show up in some places, and it will be interesting to see how the villain gets used. Call of Duty has had content based on horror films like Scream, so it makes sense that Jason could show up in a similar fashion. Fortnite could also offer multiple skin options. The most likely skin would be the classic “goalie mask” design that first appeared in Friday the 13th Part III. However, we could also see the “burlap sack mask” from Part II, or the futuristic design from Jason X.ย
How Jason shows up in games will likely depend on exactly what Horror, Inc. has obtained the rights to. Even though the company seems to have secured the rights to make things related to Jason, horror rights can be complicated and extremely specific; for example, the developers of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can only reference the first film. It’s possible there could be similar hoops to jump through with new Friday the 13th content.ย
Friday the 13th Video Games
The legal rights to the Friday the 13th franchise have been causing headaches for fans over the last several years. Friday the 13th: The Game was beloved by franchise fans, but new content had to be put on hold, and the game was subsequently delisted. Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle was similarly pulled from digital storefronts as a result of these rights issues, and that was another game well-regarded by fans. Last year, series composer Harry Manfredini was interviewed byย Rely on Horror, and he mentioned that a new Friday the 13th video game is in the works. However, no details have been revealed since.ย
Now that it seems like the legal issues surrounding Jason Vorhees have been squared away, it’s just a matter of time before the iconic villain starts popping up in different places. Fortnite and Call of Duty are both no-brainers, and that could lead to a lot more. For fans that have been clamoring to see Jason’s return, it seems the floodgates are about to open!ย
Would you be happy to see Jason Vorhees in Fortnite? What about in Call of Duty? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Wario64]
