New Friday the 13th Game Might Not Be What You Expect

After 16 years of relative obscurity following the release of the 2009 Friday the 13th remake, the Friday the 13th franchise is back in full swing with multiple upcoming film, TV, and game projects. For one, production on the A24 Friday the 13th prequel series, Crystal Lake, is in full production and set to finish filming this fall and expected to debut in 2026. At 2025’s San Diego Comic Con Jason Universe panel, Horror, Inc. Announced that Jason Voorhees will officially return to the silver screen this August through the 13-minute-long short-form vignette Sweet Revenge. On top of Sweet Revenge, Horror Inc. Executive Vice President Robbie Barsamian announced that a new sequel Friday the 13th film and game are in development. However, the new game may not be what fans expect.

new friday the 13th game in the works san diego comic con

Friday the 13th Game Fans Just Got Huge News at Comic-Con

During the excitement of San Diego Comic-Con 2025, horror fans were treated to news of new Friday the 13th projects in development.

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By Jo Craig

Everything Known About Friday the 13th’s New Film and Game

After showing a trailer for Sweet Revenge and announcing that the vignette would debut on August 13th, the Jason Universe panel concluded with Barsamian announcing that a new Friday the 13th sequel film and game are in the works. Specifically, Barsamian stated, “I can tell you that a new sequel movie and new sequel game are at the top of our list. It’s where most of our energy’s going right now. And I can tell you finally we’re in a position to deliver on that.” Barsamian told attendees that Horror Inc. Wasn’t prepared yet to publicly unveil who they’re working with to produce both the film and game, but he assured fans that both the Friday the 13th film and game are coming.

It’s currently unknown if the new Friday the 13th movie and game will build on story beats established in the Crystal Lake show or in Sweet Revenge, which is directed by Mike P. Nelson, who previously directed 2021’s Wrong Turn reboot and directed the upcoming 2025 Silent Night, Deadly Night reboot. While Barsamian did call the upcoming Friday the 13th movie and game sequels, it’s currently unknown if the film will be a sequel to Friday the 13th’s original 11 films or be a sequel to the 2009 Platinum Dunes Friday the 13th remake. It’s additionally unknown if the sequel Friday the 13th game will be a sequel to IllFonic’s recently discontinued 2017 Friday the 13th: The Game.- though it would arguably make more sense for the new game to be tied to the upcoming film as opposed to being a direct successor to IllFonic's project.

The Potential Direction and Gameplay of the New Friday the 13th Game

Friday the 13th has never truly had a perfect horror game of its own. Several companies have attempted to adapt Friday the 13th in video game form before, with Domark’s 1986 Friday the 13th: The Computer Game, Atlus’s 1989 Friday the 13th, and Blue Wizard Digital’s 2018 Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. However, none of these games were able to capture the horrifying appeal of Jason Voorhees’ Camp Crystal Lake kills as the films did. 2017’s Friday the 13th: The Game came close to being a great Friday the 13th game with its perfect recreation of multiple Jason outfits and film sets, but it was restricted by its online reliance and lack of updates due to then ongoing legal battles with the Friday the 13th IP.

With horror films and games becoming increasingly mainstream, it would seem that Horror Inc. Is at an opportune moment to debut both a Friday the 13th film and a game. However, it would make sense for the game to be closely tied to the film for synergy and to help better establish the new Jason Universe instead of making fans potentially confused by featuring elements from Friday the 13th’s two other timelines. This may depend on what structure Horror Inc. Is going for with the Friday the 13th game, as a narrative-driven, single-player survival horror game may be better connected solely to the new film. Meanwhile, a new Friday the 13th multiplayer game could potentially incorporate elements from all Jason media similar to Friday the 13th: The Game, even if it's not a proper sequel. Right now, it's anyone's guess what the game will look like, but there are reasons to believe it will be a bit different from what fans have already seen.

The Potential Story of the New Friday the 13th Game

If the new Friday the 13th film and game are tied to one another, the game could potentially connect the film to the Crystal Lake series or simply depict one fateful Friday the 13th off-screen. For example, the Crystal Lake series appears to be depicting Jason Voorhees’ initial “death” and subsequent murder spree by his mom, Pamela Voorhees, from the first Friday the 13th movie. If the new Friday the 13th film is essentially a remake of Friday the 13th Part 2 and 3, the Friday the 13th game could depict a younger Jason struggling to survive alone near Crystal Lake and killing off nearby residents, hunters, and campers. This way, Jason would be playable and feature a story that wouldn’t conflict with the series or the new film.