Ever since licensed chapters were introduced to DBD with Michael Myers, fans have been asking for the iconic Friday the 13th killer to be added. Recently, it looks like there is a chance for Jason to escape legal hell and join the Killers of Dead by Daylight after all.
The idea of Jason joining the fog in DBD has been a long-standing one, which is no surprise considering how iconic he is in the horror genre. However, the first sign he wasn't going to join the universe was Friday the 13th the Game, another asymmetrical horror game set at Camp Crystal Lake. While it wasn't as popular as DBD, the game had amassed a good following.
However, that game's success was cut short due to a legal claim over intellectual property in 2018. The game still has active players in 2024, but it hasn't gotten an update since June 2018. So, Jason has officially been in legal hell for around six years.
So what was the issue? Victor Miller, the writer of the original Friday the 13th movie, came back to fight for ownership of the IP. He could do this due to the Copyright Law, which states that an author of a work can petition to get ownership of said work after 35 years.
The lawsuit ended with Victor Miller owning the first film while Sean Cunnigham (the director) kept the rights to all the sequels. With the legal battle over, that means we could get new Jason content! You can follow the Jason Universe website and all of their socials to find out about the future of the franchise.
What is going to happen in the gaming world when it comes to Friday the 13th content? Well, Jason will be joining the cast of Multiversus on launch. This has, of course, led to some hilarious memes from the DBD fandom.
While funny, it is also a good sign for Dead by Daylight. It means that Horror Inc. is willing to collaborate with games. And what better collaboration could there be than with one of the biggest names in the horror video game genre?
Another sign to support the theory that Jason Vorhees will finally step into the fog is the Dead by Daylight roadmap. In March 2025, there will be a licensed chapter that will include only the Killer. While nothing has been announced yet, and most likely won't be until 2025, the community has high hopes.
This wouldn't be the first time Behaviour Interactive (the studio behind DBD) has treaded licensing legal waters. We can all remember when they lost the license to the Stranger Things chapter and the joy of having it back again (let's hope it stays). If anyone can do it, it would be BHVR. The incoming DnD and Castlevania chapters prove how much they've stepped up their game this year.
I'm sincerely hoping we get to experience Jason in the trials. With 2v8 mode incoming and the developers stating that there will be future iterations with more Killers added to the original five roster, I can't help but hope for a Freddy and Jason combination. I know Freddy is close to the bottom on everyone's tier list, but I really want something to make up for my disappointment that there was never a sequel to the iconic Freddy vs Jason movie.
If you want to know how to play the iconic DnD villain, check out All Dead by Daylight Vecna Perks and abilities on Pro Game Guides.
