After several delays, the Friday the 13th video game gets an official release date. Among the pantheon of horror movie monsters, arguably one of the most beloved by fans is Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees, the murderous momma's boy who prowls Camp Crystal Lake for unwitting teenage victims. That may sound weird to say about such a character, but after 12 films, Jason has become a genre institution, and almost like a form of comfort food for those who've long-followed his grotesque exploits.
Sadly, a new entry into the Friday the 13th canon has long be stuck in development at Paramount, with the long-awaited 13th installment in the franchise having recently returned to development after it appeared to be moving forward. While that's unfortunate, at least fans have had another Jason project to look forward to for awhile now, that being Gun Media's upcoming officially licensed Friday the 13th: The Game.
Now featuring both single and multiplayer modes, Friday the 13th: The Game casts players in either the role of Jason, or one of the many teenage counselors that populate Camp Crystal Lake. As Jason, your goal is of course to dispose of any person that moves, with extreme prejudice. This is accomplished via multitudes of horrific kill animations, designed by gore effects legend Tom Savini. As a counselor, your goal is simply to survive Jason's rampage. After several delays, Bloody Disgusting reports that F13: The Game now finally has an official release date: May 26, 2017.
While this late May date technically falls within Gun Media's most recently stated timetable of spring 2017, it's certainly cutting it a bit close, with many fans recently wondering if another long delay wasn't soon to be announced. Thankfully, those worries turned out to be unfounded. F13: The Game was previously announced for release in October of 2016, but those plans were obviously quite premature in hindsight.
In addition to the participation of genre maestro Savini, F13: The Game also features fan favorite Jason actor Kane Hodder doing the motion capture for the kills, in what will probably be the closest he ever gets to fully reprising the role. Hodder played Jason in Friday the 13th 7, 8, 9, and 10, before being replaced for 2003 mash-up Freddy vs. Jason. Also on-board is composer Harry Manfredini, who's done the score for nearly all the F13 entries, including designing the infamous ki-ki-ki, ma-ma-ma sound. All in all, this game is likely to leave Friday the 13th fans grinning from ear to ear.
Friday the 13th: The Game becomes available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 26, 2017.
Source: Bloody Disgusting