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Jason's back to terrorize campers in 'Friday the 13th' video game

The Friday the 13th video game is a 1 versus 7 multiplayer game, where camp counsellors try to survive the night against the brutal killer Jason Voorhees. And yes, you can play as Jason.

Anthony Domanico
CNET freelancer Anthony Domanico is passionate about all kinds of gadgets and apps. When not making words for the Internet, he can be found watching Star Wars or "Doctor Who" for like the zillionth time. His other car is a Tardis.
Anthony Domanico
2 min read

He's been killed and resurrected numerous times, and legendary killer Jason Voorhees is coming back to terrorize campers and counselors at Camp Crystal Lake once again in Friday the 13th: The Game.

Game development studios Gun Media and Illfonic launched a Kickstarter campaign on Thursday to fund the video game, which has been officially sanctioned by "Friday the 13th" franchise creator Sean Cunningham. On the campaign page, the company promises to stay true to the heart of the slasher franchise, with all the violence, gore and nudity fans of the "Friday the 13th" franchise have come to expect.

In fact, that's why the studio decided not to partner with a traditional game publisher, which would try to limit these aspects of the game to achieve a "T for Teen" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) instead of the "Mature" rating the developers are aiming for.

"Collectively, we wanted to make certain that this game delivers the same kind of fun, brutal scares and creative kills that the franchise is known for, and didn't want to risk having to tell our story with a 'T' for Teen rating," the developers said. "We don't want that. You don't want that."

Jason Voorhees is back to terrorize counselors and campers at Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th: The Game. Gun Media

The game is an asymmetrical multiplayer experience, where one player takes control of Jason while seven other players assume the role of camp counsellors attempting to survive the night either by escaping or managing to kill the mass murderer. If the campaign receives enough money, the developers plan to build out a single player experience as well. The game will be available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The team was already building a game called Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp, when it was approached by Cunningham. After a few months of discussing the game, Cunningham granted Gun Media and Illfonic a full license to make a Friday the 13th video game, and the team is now taking its work on Summer Camp and using it as a starting point to create what they hope will be the ultimate Friday the 13th game.

Kane Hodder, who played the masked murderer in 4 of the 12 "Friday the 13th" movies, is reprising his role as Jason Voorhees in the game.

Not going with a publisher means the developers need to raise the funds themselves to make the semi-open-world game as great as they want it to be, and they're seeking to raise $700,000 (about £450,000, AU$950,000) on Kickstarter. Would-be backers can secure a copy of the game for as little as $30 (about £20, AU$40), with additional perks for those who give more.

You can read more about the game and how it came into being on the Kickstarter page. If the campaign is successful, gamers can expect to slash their way through Camp Crystal Lake in October 2016.