Bit of sombre news for people still enjoying the multiplayer slash-fest of Friday the 13th: The Game today, as the developers announce that the title will receive it’s last update and lose access to it’s dedicated servers option.
While many initially thought this would be a final death knell for the game, it actually means that the games online matchmaking would be reverting to it’s initial release state – using peer-to-peer connections to play with others.
A post from the game developers on their official forums explained:
Dedicated Servers for Friday the 13th: The Game will be decommissioned in the upcoming patch, set to roll out this month, November 2020. What this means is that the game will revert back to peer to peer matchmaking for Quick Play lobbies. The Database Servers, however, will stay active and continue to house all player progression and unlocks, so users can continue to play Friday the 13th: The Game via peer to peer Quick Play and Private Matches.
The game will still function, and in fact will not lose any online play functionality
The real nightmare of peer-to-peer however is the way that a game will abruptly end with the host player leaves – something that can be quite frustrating when the host player dies 30 seconds into the game and immediately quits out of frustration. We can only hope that the remaining community is made up of die-hard fans that will stick out a match after their unfortunate demise, for the enjoyment of others.
Another nifty announcement is that with the retirement of the games development cycle, an accelerate rate of experience and resource gain will be indefinitely applied for those still unlocking content:
As for the Double XP, CP, and Tape Drop Rates that we set in the start of the pandemic, the team will opt to leave this active indefinitely.
It’s hard to capture the essence of the game in a screenshot, it really is a hoot – even with all of the jank
Friday the 13th was a game that took me by surprise, and still convinces me to play it on occasion when I am in need of a laugh with some friends. In my review for the title, I described it as flawed, but fun – and I stand by that statement even now. It’s a solid experience (should you pick it up at a low price point), with a focused range of fun multiplayer and single player options.
There is even a Friday the 13th coming up this November! My mates have already started a group chat to organise our games for that night – so I will be revisiting Camp Crystal Lake very soon.
Come back soon, I’ll be waiting!
While many are decrying this announcement as ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for a game that has already survived long past it’s due date, the news really isn’t that doom filled. The game will remain on sale, and will still receive support via the ‘JasonKillsBugs’ service to troubleshoot issues – so those willing to play need only cross their fingers that a small but dedicated community continues to enjoy the best murder simulator that 2017 had to offer.
After all, Jason never really dies.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
