Why Did the 'Friday the 13th' Game Get Shut Down, and Is There Hope of a Re-Release?

Imagine you're enjoying a video game and, suddenly, its servers shut down. That's what happened to Friday the 13th fans on New Year's Eve 2024. Of course, there was some warning, such as the information shared on the company's official social media, but players who didn't keep up with that type of news were left in the dark. Naturally, gamers around the world had questions. Why did the Friday the 13th game get shut down, and is there any hope of getting it back?

Based on the movie of the same name, Friday the 13th: The Game was a survival horror game in which one player controls Jason Voorhees while up to seven other players control camp counselors. The counselors would work together to escape Jason's wrath as he tried to kill them. The popular game was released in 2017 and eventually shut down in 2024.

Given that Friday the 13th is a franchise, the ownership rights are far from straightforward, as there are many different people involved in creating the story. Original screenwriter Victor Miller and producer Sean Cunningham got into a copyright lawsuit over who owned the rights to the franchise. Despite having worked with Sean in the past, Victor opted to utilize an element of copyright law that allows creators to reclaim ownership rights after 35 years.

In the end, Sean and Victor ended up with split ownership of the franchise, depending on what each of them brought to it. For example, Victor reclaimed the rights to the parts of the story that were in his original script, like the name "Jason." However, Sean got the rights to whatever he added in as a producer, such as the hockey mask. The split ownership arrangement was so convoluted that it basically became impossible for anyone to do anything with the story.

Fans were properly warned about the game getting shut down, but unfortunately, not everyone got the memo. The game's official X account posted in June 2023, explaining that their license would expire on Dec. 31, 2023, at which point they would no longer be able to sell either physical or digital copies of the game. Those who already owned the game were assured that they would be able to continue playing it for another year, until servers were shut down on Dec. 31, 2024.

The somber X post ended with, "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." Despite the warning, some fans were still left shocked by the game's disappearance.

Friday the 13th's fanbase has taken matters into their own hands, with petitions, Kickstarter campaigns, and the occasional unsubstantiated claim that the game will be revived. Many fans have tried to resurrect the game on their own, but those attempts are often met with official Cease and Desist letters, so we don't recommend anyone try it.

While there are ways around the system for those who truly want to play, they're legally questionable and ill-advised. Sadly, it seems the Friday the 13th game is truly finished.