Summary
- Two rumored Friday the 13th games are in development: a multiplayer and a linear game.
- The latter could prove to be especially interesting, as it could take note from other successful games in the horror genre.
- A Friday the 13th linear game could play similarly to Alien: Isolation, with players using tools and weapons to combat Voorhees. Story-wise, it could be set between the eigth and ninth films.
Friday the 13th is a horror franchise with some of the most film entries throughout its near 45-year-long existence. Officially, there are 12 Friday the 13th movies, with the 2009 remake being the final entry to date. Despite having a long catalog of films, Friday the 13th has struggled to gain a foothold in the video game medium with only four games dedicated to Jason Voorhees, including 1986’s Friday the 13th: The Computer Game, 1989’s Friday the 13th, 2017’s Friday the 13th: The Game, and 2018’s Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. However, Voorhees may have his time in gaming’s spotlight again soon with recent rumors of an upcoming linear Friday the 13th video game.
Rumor: Two Friday the 13th Games Could Be in Development
Two video games based off of the Friday the 13th franchise could currently be in development, according to recent claims made by an insider.
Rumored Friday the 13th Video Game Explained
According to insider information from CineStealth, two games based on Friday the 13th are currently in development, including a new multiplayer game, possibly similar to 2017’s Illfonic’s asymmetrical survival horror game, and another that features more linear gameplay. No developers or release windows for these games were detailed, nor have these rumors been confirmed by Friday the 13th’s current owner, Horror Inc. However, Horror Inc. Did announce that more Friday the 13th games and other content is expected to be announced later this year when the new Jason Universe initiative was announced in May.
Since this new Jason Universe debuted, only two new Friday the 13th-related projects have been announced. A few days after Jason Universe was announced, Warner Bros. Games revealed that Jason Voorhees was coming to the fighting game MultiVersus as a part of the game’s Season 1 Battle Pass in late May. By early July, Jason Universe’s second announcement was of a 4K UHD rerelease of the 2009 Friday the 13th film remake. No other announcements for the hockey mask-wearing slasher have been officially revealed yet.
The Potential of a Friday the 13th Linear Game
Linear horror games have brought some of the most terrifying and skin tingling moments in the whole horror genre. Games such as Alien: Isolation made players crawl for the entirety of Sevastopol station in fear that the slightest noise would cause the xenomorph to crawl from the ship’s many vents to attack them. Likewise, Outlast constantly kept players on their toes as they tried to stealthily avoid the crazed maniac of Mount Massive Asylum and discover what secret experiments were being conducted at the facility. A Friday the 13th linear game could make Jason Voorhees as menacing as the unrelenting Alien or the hulking Chris Walker.
In terms of gameplay, the Friday the 13th game could play more similarly to Alien: Isolation than Outlast in that players could use some tools and small weapons to attempt combating Voorhees. While most campers or civilians never survive Voorhees’ rampages, several do attempt to fight him to at least give their friends time to run away, such as Tommy Jarvis’ many endeavors to kill the slasher. If the game is set at Camp Crystal Lake, the player could use the Camp’s various tools and sports equipment like oars, bows, and hammers to try and temporarily knock out Voorhees during numerous encounters. They may also use the Lake’s various cabins, houses, and facilities to try and hide, similar to the lockers and desks of Isolation.
The Potential Story of a Friday the 13th Linear Game
A Friday the 13th game has lots of options for its story and setting. It could be an adaptation of any of the 12 films or be set after the core films but before the futuristic Jason X, simply depicting one of Voorhees’ many unseen massacres. If Jason Universe staff want to more directly connect this game to some of the films while being able to tell its own story, though, the game could be set as a prequel to Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
At the end of Part 8, Voorhees is seemingly destroyed by toxic Manhattan waste, yet he appears physically intact in Final Friday. This Friday the 13th game could have a narrative of campers returning to Crystal Lake but coming across Voorhees reconstructing himself and causing mayhem after floating his way back to the Lake. The protagonist could survive and later set up the FBI ambush in Final Friday.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was the first Voorhees film made by New Line Cinema after the character's rights were sold by Friday the 13th film series progenitor Paramount Pictures in 1989.