Why the New Friday the 13th Game Should Skip Dead by Daylight and Go Single-Player Instead
The New Friday the 13th Game Is Coming – But It Doesn’t Have to Copy Dead by Daylight
The legendary horror franchise Friday the 13th is gearing up for a fresh game, and fans are buzzing with anticipation. Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 by Robert Barsamian, executive vice president at Horror Inc, the company currently managing the Friday the 13th and Jason Universe licenses, this new project promises to bring Jason Voorhees back to life in the gaming world.
- The new Friday the 13th game is officially in development
- Previous games faced licensing and server shutdown issues
- Fans speculate about a multiplayer sequel but a single-player game might be a better fit
- Dead by Daylight dominates the asymmetric horror multiplayer scene
- Jason’s character suits a darker, single-player horror experience
Friday the 13th’s Rocky Gaming History
The last major Friday the 13th game, released by Gun Media in 2017, was popular but ultimately suffered from licensing disputes and server shutdowns. After the license expired on December 31, 2023, the game was removed from sale. Even before that, legal battles between the franchise’s creator Victor Miller and director Sean S. Cunningham complicated things, leading to canceled DLCs and the eventual shutdown of official servers in 2020.
Other attempts, like Blue Wizard Digital’s free-to-play puzzler Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle, were also delisted due to licensing issues. Jason even had a brief appearance in MultiVersus before that game shut down, marking more setbacks for the character’s gaming presence.
Should the New Game Follow the Multiplayer Trend?
With the announcement mentioning a “sequel game,” many fans hope the new Friday the 13th title will jump back into the popular online asymmetric multiplayer horror genre. This genre, dominated by Behaviour Interactive’s Dead by Daylight, has seen huge success thanks to its thrilling gameplay, strong community, and numerous licensed IPs like AMC’s The Walking Dead.
However, other horror IPs trying to replicate Dead by Daylight’s formula have struggled to maintain player bases or release expansions. For example, IllFonic’s Killer Klowns from Outer Space, launched in July 2024, has a significantly smaller player base compared to Dead by Daylight’s statistics.
Why a Single-Player Game Might Be the Best Choice
Instead of competing in the crowded multiplayer space, Friday the 13th could take inspiration from the upcoming Hellraiser game and focus on a single-player experience. Jason Voorhees is one of horror’s most iconic slashers, and playing as the Final Girl in a darker, more intense setting could deliver a truly terrifying game.
Jason’s lore spans beyond Crystal Lake—he’s been in places like New York and even space—so the setting possibilities are vast. A single-player game would also allow for a stronger scare factor, unlike multiplayer games where having friends nearby can reduce tension. Titles like Alien Isolation or Rule of Rose prove how powerful solo horror experiences can be.
As the writer puts it: “There’s nothing more terrifying than the thought of being alone with Jason Voorhees only a few steps behind.”
