Friday the 13th Game Revealed, Dev Promises Blood, Guts, Gore, Brutal Kills

Jason Voorhees recently appeared in Mortal Kombat X as a DLC fighter, but now he's getting his own new game. Gun Media and developer Illfonic have announced Friday the 13th: The Game, a third-person, asymmetrical multiplayer game for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The hook is that one player controls Jason Voorhees, while seven others take control of camp counselors who are attempting to survive the night.

The game takes place in a "semi-open world" of Camp Crystal Lake from the film series. "It's a classic horror fan's dream, no shaky cam, no found footage," developers said. "We want you to know we're revitalizing the golden era of slashers, and putting you at the controls of each horrific, blood-splattered moment."

Gun Media is looking to fund Friday the 13th: The Game on Kickstarter. A campaign for the game went live today, asking for $700,000.

Friday the 13th: The Game is actually an evolution of Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp. It was decided to make this a Friday the 13th game after franchise creator Sean Cunningham reached out to the development team.

"That's when things got awesome," the developers said. "Sean came to us in early 2015, but we quickly discovered these weren't the normal business conversations you would have when you try to secure a license as important as Friday the 13th. It was totally different. It was a conversation built on mutual admiration and respect for what each had created.

"Sean immediately noticed the passion we had for Friday the 13th, and after several incredible meetings over the next few months, we decided to upgrade our plans for Summer Camp and embrace the Friday the 13th video game license," they added. "After several incredible meetings over the next few months, Sean surprised us by offering the Friday the 13th video game license. It was literally a dream come true for a group of lifelong fans. He knew he could trust us with the most coveted horror IP ever, and we plan to make good on that promise to both him and you, the millions of loyal Friday the 13th fans around the world."

As for why Gun Media is not seeking a traditional publisher relationship, the developer said violence, gore, and nudity "aren't just concepts to consider--they're necessities." Partnering with a publisher meant that might have meant these elements would have to be toned down.

"We don't want that. You don't want that," they said. "We're not interested in compromising what made the film franchise so popular. We're interested in building precisely what we, as fans, want. The ultimate Friday the 13th experience. Blood, guts, gore, brutal kills, and more. You want an experience true to the films, and so do we. It's about creative control and delivering the best game we can. We want to share that control, with you, not a publisher."

Friday the 13th: The Game runs on Epic's Unreal Engine 4, and looks quite nice, even in its unfinished state currently. Check out some images in the gallery below.

Gallery

The game was conceived as a multiplayer-only game, but Gun Media said it will consider a single-player campaign if the Kickstarter does well enough. There are a variety of stretch goals featured on the game's Kickstarter page, but they are blurred out for now. These will be announced later.

Friday the 13th: The Game is tentatively scheduled to launch in October 2016. You can guarantee yourself a copy of the game by pledging at least $25. For lots more, be sure to check out the game's Kickstarter.