You'd think that one of the greatest horror icons of all time would translate into a ridiculously amazing video game character ... but, sadly, that's not the case with Jason Voorhees.
That's not to say that Friday the 13th's iconic killer hasn't made his way to the world of video games — it's just that every game he's ever been in is absolute garbage. Granted, Jason was at the height of his popularity when games were still in their infancy — it's hard to reproduce something like Friday the 13th when you've only got enough horsepower for two dimensions.
Then again, gaming's come a long way in the past few decades, and that goes doubly for horror games. With the recent return of true survival horror and narrative-based games, it seems like now is a better time than ever to reintroduce the gaming world to Jason and Friday the 13th.
As it turns out, the team over at Gun Media feels the same way.
Originally, the new Friday the 13th game wasn't even based on the movies. Jason's latest endeavor started out as Summer Camp, an independent game heavily inspired by the slasher films of the '80s. The team was open about their love of the films and its influence on their game — they just didn't have the license itself. However, after a few meetings with Friday the 13th creator Sean S. Cunningham, the team is moving forward and reworking their game to fit into the franchise.
What's even better is that the Friday the 13th game won't have players trying to get away — you'll be playing as Jason himself. There are modes in which players can take control of the campers, but come on — who wants to play as some skinny teenager when you can take control of Jason Voorhees?
Amazing premise aside, there's still one hurdle standing in Gun Media's way: funding. The game is currently asking for $700,000 on Kickstarter, with a number of stretch goals laid out for if/when the team hits their goal. It's a hefty sum, and gamers are more cautious than ever when it comes to crowdfunding games — and, while there's probably a bit more going on behind the scenes, it is a little strange that such a big property can't fund its own game.
Video games have a complicated history with movies — simply put, most movie adaptations are awful. There's usually a reason for that: movie tie-ins are usually quick cash-grabs put together by studios that only care about a paycheck. Friday the 13th, on the other hand, feels like a passionate project — hopefully, Gun Media won't fall prey to Kickstarter shenanigans like so many other studios do.
There's no solid release date quite yet, but if the game is funded, expect to see Friday the 13th make its debut in Nov. 2016. If you want to help fund the game, you can make a donation over at its official Kickstarter project page.
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