Friday the 13th: The Game - Resurrected Gets Killed Following Copyright Infringement Claim

A fan attempt to bring back Friday the 13th: The Game has officially been cancelled following a cease and desist letter issued by franchise owners Horror, Inc. The project had gotten a lot of attention on social media, with a Twitter account that drew more than 14,000 followers. Friday the 13th: The Game – Resurrection was a mod set to be released on April 15th, and would have featured content from movies that did not feature in the original game, including Jason X and even fan projects. However, the developers have confirmed that Resurrection will not be moving forward. 

"It's a shame that someone wants to fight against a fan made project with no profit made. It wasn't our intension to 'hurt the brand' as Horror Inc claims we did," the game's Twitter account reads. "We want to thank this amazing community. We've met a lot of cool people on the path and have had a lot of fun working on the project. We want to let you know that we did fight for you, and we still do, but for now the project is over."

Why was Resurrection Cancelled?

Fan games exist in something of a strange vacuum. Some companies are willing to leave them alone as long as the developer does not seek to make a profit, or damage the reputation of the characters. In the case of Friday the 13th: The Game – Resurrection, the mod was planned to be released for free, but the developers were also planning on giving away the original game, which has been delisted from digital storefronts. Some fans have speculated that, had the developers simply released the mod to existing players that bought the game while it was still available, there might not have been legal issues. 

A Second Death for Friday the 13th: The Game

Friday the 13th: The Game was released by Gun Media in 2017. While the game found a passionate fan base, new content ceased in 2018 as a result of a legal dispute over the ownership of the Friday the 13th franchise. Planned content based on Jason X was cancelled, and Gun Media was forced to move on from the franchise. Last year, the publisher released a new asymmetric horror game based on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Fans have been worried that game will end up suffering a similar fate, but Gun Media continues to assure fans that the franchise does not have the same legal problems as Friday the 13th. 

A new game based on Friday the 13th was mentioned by series composer Harry Manfredini in an interview with Rely on Horror last year. However, no details have emerged since, and we don't know how it would avoid the same issues that plagued Friday the 13th: The Game.

Were you looking forward to this mod for Friday the 13th: The Game? Are you frustrated with the legal issues surrounding the horror franchise? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!