Friday the 13th game is OFFICIALLY Done
Fans of the asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, Friday the 13th, were hit a low blow this week, as we learnt that a legal battle has crippled the games development. The Crowdfunded game has been forced to stop all development, that includes new DLC, maps and characters, many of which that had already been announced. For all intents and purpose, Friday the 13th: The Game is dead!
Screenwriter Victor Miller is currently in a lengthy court battle to obtain the rights to the series, which he believes he is entitled to. In accordance with the Copyright Act of 1976, authors are allowed to terminate an existing copyright after a period of 35 years, and this is a law we have just started to see effect film rights. Next year James Cameron claims back the Terminator series and Tom Holland gets his hands back on Fright Night. But whilst these are great results form the law, the other side of the coin is not so pretty.
Producer Sean S. Cunningham, co-creator of the series and director of the original “Friday” film, contends that Miller was hired by the studio to write the first draft, and this would disregard any rights he has, as the script would be property of Cunningham’s company. Victor claims he was as a freelancer screenwriter, which Cunningham is having trouble in proving elsewise.
The result of this spat, the film series has been put on hiatus since 2009’s “Friday the 13th” remake and now the game is feeling the legal tentacles too. With Miller claiming July 15th 2018 as the date in which rights should revert back to him, and with no conclusion to the case, the Friday the 13th franchise is in limbo and that leaves video game developers Illfonic and Gun Media unable to develop Friday the 13th : The Game any further.
I’ll let youtubers Slash ‘N Cast break down what that means for the game. It’s clear that this is a huge shock for fans of the game and seemingly came from nowhere.
