Friday the 13th: The Game isn't the only F13 property that has been hampered by the ongoing court case where FRIDAY THE 13TH director Sean S. Cunningham and writer Victor Miller are both trying to claim the rights to the franchise. All updates to the game have been cancelled, and the same issue has also affected the mobile game Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle, which was released earlier this year.
Killer Puzzle's developer Blue Wizard Digital have acknowledged on the f13killerpuzzle Twitter account that they can't create any more content for their game, either. But they are using a loophole to bring fans something special this Friday the 13th:
We were trying to be sneaky and tease a special surprise update for Friday, July 13, but some people are getting freaked out because of the recent legal issues around the Gun Media game. We don't want to confuse anyone or create trouble, so we'll clarify a bit what's happening! Yes, on July 13 we are releasing an update with a new Jason avatar you can earn for free by completing a special challenge. Let's just say it's never a good idea to hike by yourself… Yes, we are under the same legal restrictions as the Gun team on new content for our game. Nobody is lying or using that as an excuse to 'quit' working on the game.
For contractual reasons, January 22, 2018 was our deadline for creating new content for our game. As that deadline approached, we completed a few Jason avatars that we inserted in the game but disabled. We were hopeful that the legal issues would be quickly resolved, but… We wanted a few “secrets” we could release later without breaching our contract if the worst-case legal scenario came to pass (as it has). No, we don’t have tons of secret content hidden away in the code… just a few cool surprises for our fans. Like Gun Media and other F13 fans, we’re hoping the lawsuit gets settled or resolved as soon as possible so everyone can enjoy more Jason! We are continuing with bug fixing and technical upgrades to the game, but are hopeful things can get settled so we can do much more in the future!
In the puzzle game, which has over 100 levels with such settings as Camp Crystal Lake, Manhattan, supermax prisons, and snowy ski resorts,
players control Jason by sliding him around an isometric puzzle level to attack his victims, either directly with a variety of weapons, or indirectly, by frightening them into environmental hazards like campfires, bear traps, and woodchippers. Gruesome reflex-based “Kill Scenes” punctuate the puzzling as you progress through multiple episodes, from classic campgrounds to more exotic locations such as Manhattan, abandoned amusement parks, supermax prisons, beach resorts, outer space and more.
It's a shame that this rights issue had to come up just when FRIDAY THE 13TH fans were starting to get some cool new content to enjoy. We've only gotten four new entries in the franchise since the '80s, so we need all the Jason we can get. For now, we can't get anything more.