Friday The 13th: The Game Will Lose Dedicated Servers

In a final blow to the future of Friday the 13th on PS4, PC, and Xbox One, publisher Gun Media has announced that dedicated servers will be shut down in this month's patch, which will see the game revert back to peer to peer matchmaking for quick play lobbies. Database servers will stay active so that all player progression and unlocks can still be accessed in quick play and private matches.

The final patch will complete fixes on a long list of issues raised by the game's community, Gun Media explained in a forum post. Finalized patch notes will be released in the week prior to the patch going live.

Official forums will be archived in a locked state while official channels game will be kept to a more "minimal approach" on social media platforms. Friday the 13th will still remain up for purchase and double XP, CP, and tape drop rates that were introduced earlier this year will remain active for an indefinite period of time.

Friday the 13th had a rocky launch in 2017, but over the months that followed developer IllFonic began to patch its numerous stability and performance issues to create a popular multiplayer survival-horror experience. Due to the messy legal issues surrounding the ownership rights to the franchise brought forward by Victor Miller, writer of the original Friday the 3th's screenplay, IllFonic and Gun Media were unable to add any new content to the game. Illfonic would hand the game over to Black Tower Entertainment, who took over support and development duties.

"Previously, we had a license to Friday the 13th that allowed development and new content for the video game." IllFonic explained back in 2018. "However, this was negatively affected by the Miller litigation.

"As a result of that litigation, we were not able to release new content for the game but were able to continue to support and maintain the game in the way we have been. Any other Friday the 13th licensing does not necessarily affect our ability to put out new content for the game. There are no plans to re-negotiate our license to create new content regardless of how the film rights are ultimately settled."

IllFonic has since moved on to another beloved 1980s property, in the form of Predator: Hunting Grounds. Another asymmetrical multiplayer game from the studio, the latest Predator game also began life with a rocky start on PS4 and PC but has been steadily adding new content since its April debut.