It used to be that video games lasted pretty much forever. If you purchased a game, you could play it as many times as you wanted, and you could even come back to it decades later. Unfortunately, live service games have greatly changed the rules when it comes to what games we get to revisit, and which ones end up lost to time. The latest example is Friday the 13th: The Game. Gun Interactive’s take on the horror movie franchise was released back in 2017, and has suffered a long, and disappointing death. The game’s servers are officially going offline today, much to the disappointment of fans.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Friday the 13th: The Game was an ambitious take on the slasher franchise. An asymmetrical horror game, players could either control Jason Vorhees himself, or one of his would-be victims. The goal was to either kill all the counselors, or survive Jason’s wrath as long as possible. As in the movies themselves, Jason was a near-unkillable engine of destruction. The developers even let the villain warp around the map, which makes sense, given the fact that slasher movie villains tend to be much faster than a real-life person. Different counselors had their own strengths and weaknesses, and there was actually a way to bring Jason down, if players could pull it off.
It was a simple concept, and one that we’ve seen in similar horror games. However, it was the level of fan service that set Friday the 13th apart from other games in the genre. Unlike Gun Interactive’s own The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the company had the rights to all of the movies in the Friday the 13th franchise. As a result, the game featured unlockable skins of various takes on Jason, including the burlap mask from Friday the 13th Part II. The game even featured the likenesses and voices of camp counselors from past movies. Last but certainly not least was the virtual cabin feature, which was a place where players could chill between matches and read up on the lore of the series.
In all of these ways, Friday the 13th: The Game channeled the spirit of the movies. Like the source material, the game could be incredibly cheesy, but that added to the charm. Sure, it could be frustrating when Jason caught up to you, but it was hard not to laugh when Jason tossed your character into a fireplace and held you there with his boot. Getting chased through the woods by Jason while hearing music from Harry Manfredini? For many fans of the films, Friday the 13th: The Game was a dream.
Unfortunately, things were too good to last. Not long after the release of Friday the 13th: The Game, development on new content was forced to cease as a result of legal disputes over the overall franchise rights. The game was eventually delisted last year, though it remained playable through December 31st, 2024. Fans have tried to keep the game going, and there were even attempts to create some promising mods. Unfortunately, the game still ended up in the same place.
The disposable nature of video games has become a source of frustration for a lot of players over the last few years. Friday the 13th: The Game is just the latest example, and it comes in a year where Concord was available for less than a month before the plug was pulled. It often seems like there’s little incentive to get invested in live service games, knowing the fate they will nearly all, eventually, suffer. While this is typically a problem with live service games, they are far from the only casualties; Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle was also delisted last year as a result of the legal battles surrounding the franchise. Both of these games were far superior to the NES Friday the 13th from the ’80s, but at least fans can still track down a physical copy of that game and play it on the old hardware.
While Friday the 13th: The Game is officially dead, things might be turning around for the troubled franchise. The legal dispute that killed Friday the 13th was officially resolved in May 2024, and Horror, Inc. has announced plans for the a ton of new projects starring Jason. New games featuring the character have yet to be officially announced, but rumors suggest two new ones are in the works. If those rumors are to be believed, one of the games will be a new multiplayer title. Does that mean we could see something similar to Friday the 13th: The Game? Time will tell, but there will be huge expectations for whatever comes next.
RELATED: Friday the 13th: Here’s Why People Are Afraid of the Superstitious Day
Are you disappointed by the death of Friday the 13th: The Game? Are you hesitant to embrace live service games because of all the delistings? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
