Today, Friday The 13th: The Game publisher Gun Media announced that IllFonic has “completed all contracted work” and will no longer work on the game. Going forward, Japanese game developer Black Tower Studios, which is based in Tokyo, will support the game and handle development.
Friday The 13th: The Game will not get any new content for the foreseeable future, as previously announced over the summer, so the companies will instead focus on fixing the numerous bugs and issues players continue to face. Also over the summer, Gun Media and IllFonic came under fire on social media when two new physical editions of Friday the 13th: The Game were announced. The Ultimate Slasher Edition includes the the game, all premium DLC, and a limited edition poster. The Ultimate Slasher Collector’s Edition includes the contents from the Ultimate Slasher Edition and a Friday the 13th Part III Jason mask replica from NECA. Players expressed their frustration (to put it mildly) over the companies releasing new editions of the game while having continuous issues connecting, which prevented many from playing. The game’s lack of dedicated servers has also been a hot button since release. Gun Media and IllFonic finally added dedicated servers just recently, however.
Black Tower Studios is no stranger to Friday The 13th: The Game. The company has worked on content previously with IllFonic, including the Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning Pinehurst map and the Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Jarvis House map. IllFonic has been the game’s lead developer since 2014, before it transformed from a slasher game titled Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp into a licensed Friday the 13th game.
Gun Media has stated that IllFonic will be moving on to other projects. Last year, the company helped develop Maximum Games’ Dead Alliance, a multiplayer first-person frenzied zombie shooter. It was released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam.
