Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. Jason Vorhees might be able to smash through doors with his Rage ability, but Friday the 13th: The Game has found itself pinned down by a legal dispute. Developer IllFonic’s asymmetrical multiplayer game won’t be getting any new content until a lawsuit about the rights to the original Friday the 13th has been resolved. Though IllFonic and publisher Gun Media aren’t the target of the case; they are tangentially affected because the rights to the movie are in limbo. The movie’s screenwriter, Victor Miller, is taking Horror, Inc. and Manny Company, the production company that owns the rights to the movie, to court in an attempt to reclaim ownership of the intellectual property. “When we originally learned that the game fell within the crosshairs of this legal dispute, we tried to balance the creation of new content requested by our fans against the maintenance and bug fixing that our community expects and deserves. We attempted to do both within the limits of the legal case,” said Friday the 13th: The Game’s publisher Gun Media in an email statement. “We’ve now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future.” Jason Vorhees is an iconic horror villain, and IllFonic’s game sold over 1.8 million copies within its first three months. In Friday the 13th: The Game, seven people play camp counselors running from one player who’s Jason, the main villain from the Friday the 13th movie franchise. While avoiding detection, the counselors must secure their exit by finishing tasks such as finding fuel for a car or calling the police. Since the game’s launch in May 2017, it has steadily rolled out new content, like new maps, playable characters, and different versions of Jason from his various movie incarnations. Because of the legal battle, it is now putting on pause its upcoming updates, which included more counselors, Uber Jason, the Grendel map, cosmetic items, emotes, and Jason Kill Packs, which enable players to use unique executions when they play as the killer.<doc-sep>Screenshot : Friday the 13th ( Gun Media ) The developers of the Friday the 13th video game say they’re canceling all future DLC because of an ongoing lawsuit regarding the franchise. Advertisement Since 2016, Victor Miller, the screenwriter of the original Friday the 13th movie, has been engaged with a legal dispute regarding his work on the film, which has prevented any new movies in the franchise from being made. For a while, the game avoided this dispute, but according to the developers at Gun Media, they’re now forced to cancel their planned downloadable content. “When we originally learned that the game fell within the crosshairs of this legal dispute, we tried to balance the creation of new content requested by our fans against the maintenance and bug fixing that our community expects and deserves. We attempted to do both within the limits of the legal case,” they said in a press release today. “We’ve now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and Counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future.” Canceled content includes “Uber Jason,” the Grendel Map, new cosmetics and new counselors. Although Gun Media can’t make any new content for Friday the 13th, they say they are still dedicated to launching dedicated servers for consoles and maintaining the game as it currently exists.<doc-sep>A long-running legal dispute harking back to events in the 1970s is now having a major impact on multiplayer horror game Friday the 13th: The Game. Publisher Gun Media today announced that it’s canceled plans for updates and DLC to the IllFonic-developed game, which is based on the movie series, Friday the 13th. In the cat-and-mouse horror survival adventure, players take on the role of psychopathic killer Jason Voorhees, or any one of the teenage counselors he’s trying to murder. The lawsuit is between Victor Miller, who wrote the original film back in 1979, and representatives of Sean Cunningham, who directed the movie. Cunningham says he has legal rights over the movie and its characters. Miller points to a provision in copyright law that he says reverts the rights back to himself. Cunningham says Miller was just a paid-for-hire worker. The case, which was first brought in 2016, is not specifically about Gun Media’s game, which the company launched following a licensing deal with Cunningham, but is included in its provisions. Gun Media issued a statement earlier today: “When we originally learned that the game fell within the cross-hairs of this legal dispute, we tried to balance the creation of new content requested by our fans against the maintenance and bug fixing that our community expects and deserves. We attempted to do both within the limits of the legal case. “ We’ve now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and Counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future. Although the listed content types will be affected, we remain committed to launching dedicated servers on our console platforms and providing the continued maintenance and bug fixing important to supporting our fan base.” The company said it’s put all future content plans on hold, including the introduction of an “Uber Jason,” new counselors, a new map and other extras such as clothing and emotes. We’ve contacted Gun Media to find out more about the game’s future. Friday the 13th: The Game was released a year ago, and is available for around $40 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.<doc-sep>
There won't be - can't be - any new content made for Friday the 13th: The Game because of the messy Hollywood battle over ownership of the franchise. Last summer Victor Miller, scriptwriter of the the original Friday the 13th film, decided the rights were his and set out to reclaim them, triggering a ongoing legal battle with those who believed otherwise. The outcome still isn't decided but something has happened to convince Gun Media, publisher of Friday the 13th: The Game, developing new content for the game is "unfeasible now or in the future". Gun Media's statement read: "As many in our community may be aware, a legal claim has been made which could affect all future Friday the 13th intellectual property. Although in the past the game has not been subject to any such claim, new content and material going forward will be affected. An initial decision in this case was expected in October 2017, but no decision has yet been issued. The court review of the legal rights is in process, but final resolution may take some time. Until the claim rights can be dismissed or resolved, no new content can be released. "When we originally learned that the game fell within the crosshairs of this legal dispute, we tried to balance the creation of new content requested by our fans against the maintenance and bug fixing that our community expects and deserves. We attempted to do both within the limits of the legal case. "We've now been forced to accept that the lawsuit makes future content for the game, including alternate play modes, new playable Jasons and Counselors, and new maps, unfeasible now or in the future. Although the listed content types will be affected, we remain committed to launching dedicated servers on our console platforms and providing the continued maintenance and bug fixing important to supporting our fan base. "So what does this mean exactly? There will be no additional content added to Friday the 13th: The Game. This includes Uber Jason, The Grendel Map, Jason Kill Packs, Clothing, Emotes and new Counselors." Friday the 13th: The Game had been a success for Gun Media, shifting 1.8m copies in a handful of months after its May 2017 launch. Rick Lane wasn't bowled over by Friday the 13th: The Game in his review at launch, but mostly because of teething issues and bugs - things he said could easily be ironed out in the months to come.