Jason is coming back. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Horror Inc. Vice President Robbie Barsamian confirmed that a brand-new Friday the 13th video game is officially in early development, marking the first major update in a few years for this horror franchise in gaming.
‘I can tell you that a new sequel movie and new sequel game are at the top of our list’, Barsamian revealed to a roaring crowd. ‘It’s where most of our energy’s going right now. And I can tell you finally we’re in a position to deliver on that.’
While details are still under wraps, Barsamian emphasised that both the new film and the game are actively in the works, promising that ‘they’re both coming’. No platforms, developers, or gameplay concepts were announced, but we can expect more news shortly.
This isn’t Jason’s first trip to the virtual campgrounds. Friday the 13th: The Game launched in 2017 after a successful Kickstarter campaign, allowing fans to step into the boots of either camp counsellors or Jason Voorhees himself in an asymmetrical multiplayer horror experience. A single-player mode was later introduced, letting players stalk AI-controlled victims as Jason in classic slasher fashion.
Despite its rocky launch with bugs, online issues, and rampant cheating, the game sold over two million copies within its first three months, thanks in large part to the franchise’s devoted fanbase. However, a legal dispute between original screenwriter Victor Miller and director Sean S. Cunningham put a stop to new content in 2018, and dedicated servers were finally shut down in late 2020.
Since then, the Friday the 13th franchise has been mostly silent on the gaming front… until now.
The announcement of a new game comes alongside the reveal that a new Friday the 13th sequel film is also in development. Plus, a prequel TV series titled Crystal Lake is currently being filmed for A24 and Peacock (closest equivalent being Binge in Australia), with showrunner Brad Caleb Kane teasing behind-the-scenes footage exclusively at SDCC.
Horror Inc. is ready to bring Jason Voorhees back into the spotlight across film, television, and now, gaming. With modern horror titles like Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Dead by Daylight, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space gaining popularity, this could be a perfect time for Friday the 13th to make a brutal comeback.
Fans have waited long enough. It’s time to return to Camp Crystal Lake.
