Why Friday The 13th Is Shutting Down Dedicated Servers
Gun Media recently announced the upcoming closure of Friday The 13: The Game's dedicated servers. Here's why the publishers came to this decision.
The survival horror game based off the popular film franchise of the same name, Friday The 13th: The Game, will be shutting down dedicated servers later this month after its brief three year run, according to publisher Gun Media. This is largely due to complicated legal issues involving the rights of the game, and the cost to maintain the servers.
Formerly developed by independent game studio Illfonic in 2017, the asymmetrical multiplayer allows up to eight users to play in a single session - with seven being assigned as Camp Crystal Lake counselors and one as iconic horror antagonist Jason Voorhees. The news comes with the announcement of a final patch update which will go live later this month, and will address a number of issues currently afflicting the game, with finalized patch notes releasing the week beforehand.
According to Gun Media's mattshotcha, the database servers will stay active so player progression and unlocks can still be accessed via private matches and peer to peer matchmaking for Quick Play lobbies, which the game will revert back to. Official forums will be archived so previous information can still be referenced, with a minimal approach in regards to an online presence. The statement confirms that Friday The 13th: The Game will remain available for purchase and continue to receive full support for troubleshooting. These decisions were not made lightly, yet seemed the best option in response to litigation issues and server costs, which Gun Media founder Wes Keltner addressed earlier this year on Twitter.
Back in May 2020, Keltner hinted at the troubling cost of maintaining the game's servers, stating, "To all the folks informing me that 'F13 game is dead!' and 'No one plays your dead game anymore!" - You're totally right. So right in fact, I'm willing to split the dedicated server bill with you," which coincides with his response to mattshotcha's announcement that the team "felt this day was coming." Additionally, maintaining the health of Friday The 13th: The Game had been no easy feat for its developers, which worked diligently to patch numerous stability and performance issues for months after the game's release. Inevitably, in September 2018, Illfonic stepped down from its developmental duties with the game, and Japanese developer Black Tower Studios took over under Gun Media.
Friday the 13: The Game also had some hiccups with adding new content to the game due to a messy legal matter with Victor Miller, writer of the original movie's screenplay. Back in July of this year, Gun Media's legal team announced that as a result of the litigation, they were unable to release new Friday The 13th content and confirmed no plans to re-negotiate the license to create new content "regardless of how the film rights are ultimately settled."
With all the troubles that have faced Friday The 13th: The Game over its short-lived past three years, the decision seems appropriate. This will allow the developers and publishers to focus on new ventures, in lieu of a severely struggling one. While Gun Media has made no official announcement as to what its next project is, Keltner has teased another multiplayer horror game for the American video game publisher. Illfonic had since moved on to another classic 1980's horror-inspired game, Predator: Hunting Grounds, which released last April.