Friday the 13th fans just got some terrible news. ComicBook.com reports that the publishers of Friday the 13th: The Game — a survival horror game based on the iconic slasher franchise — have revealed that the online game is coming to an end. “The time has come. Our license for Friday the 13th will expire on December 31st, 2023,” Gun Media wrote in a social media statement. “On that date, Friday the 13th: The Game will no longer be available for sale, both physically and digitally.”
The publisher went on to add, “The game will, however, continue to function through at least December 31, 2024, if you already own it. At this time, we’ve made the decision to reduce the price to $4.99 for the base game and $0.99 for each piece of DLC content. We will continue to offer the title and content at that price point right up until it is removed from digital/physical storefronts on December 31st, 2023.” Gun Media concluded their statement, “We would like to thank our community for the dedication they’ve shown to Friday the 13th: The Game and Gun Interactive as a whole, and we are happy the game will live on awhile longer and continue to be enjoyed by anyone owning the game already.”
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The first Friday the 13th film was released in 1980. It went on to spawn nine sequels, as well as a mash-up film with Jason’s fellow horror film icon Freddy Kruger — 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason — and the remake in 2009. Since then, the franchise has had trouble getting back off the ground. A number of planned follow-up reboots failed to make it past the scripting stage, and a subsequent copyright lawsuit brought the series to a screeching halt.
Back in 2018, it was reported that NBA champ LeBron James would be joining the Friday the 13th franchise as a producer of a planned reboot for the series. According to a Bloody Disgusting report at the time, James and his production company SpringHill Entertainment were said to be working with Vertigo Entertainment on a new launch for the iconic horror movie. There have been no updates on this since, but a new prequel series based on the franchise is coming soon to Peacock.
Notably, in 2021, screenwriter Victor Miller — who wrote the first Friday the 13th movie — won a lawsuit appeal against the movie’s director, Sean S. Cunningham, which confirmed that he was the sole rightful owner of the film’s domestic rights. “Barring any reversal before a fuller panel at the 2nd Circuit or Supreme Court, Victor Miller will reclaim the domestic rights to the franchise,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Eriq Gardner explained at the time. “A big win for attorney Marc Toberoff as he heads into an even bigger fight against Disney over Marvel characters.”
