Video Games
The Video Game ‘Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle’ Unfortunately Cannot Create New Content Either
The messy legal battle over the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise means that pretty much everything connected to the property is a casualty, including the films and Friday the 13th: The Game. As we recently learned, no new content can be created for the game until the issues are ironed out, which essentially means the end for new content altogether.
What about the other Friday video game, Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle? Blue Wizard Digital’s horror puzzle game launched on Steam and for iOS and Android this past January, and the developers note this week that their hands are also tied when it comes to generating new content for the game. That said, some new content is actually coming soon.
In a series of tweets, Blue Wizard detailed…
“We were trying to be sneaky and tease a special surprise update for Friday, July 13, but some people are getting freaked out because of the recent legal issues around the Gun game. We don’t want to confuse anyone or create trouble, so we’ll clarify a bit what’s happening! Yes, on July 13 we are releasing an update with a new Jason avatar you can earn for free by completing a special challenge. Let’s just say it’s never a good idea to hike by yourself. Yes, we are under the same legal restrictions as the Gun team on new content for our game. Nobody is lying or using that as an excuse to ‘quit’ working on the game.”
“For contractual reasons, January 22, 2018 was our deadline for creating new content for our game. As that deadline approached, we completed a few Jason avatars that we inserted in the game but disabled. We were hopeful that the legal issues would be quickly resolved, but… We wanted a few “secrets” we could release later without breaching our contract if the worst-case legal scenario came to pass (as it has). No, we don’t have tons of secret content hidden away in the code… just a few cool surprises for our fans. Like Gun and other F13 fans, we’re hoping the lawsuit gets settled or resolved as soon as possible so everyone can enjoy more Jason! We are continuing with bug fixing and technical upgrades to the game, but are hopeful things can get settled so we can do much more in the future!”
— f13killerpuzzle (@f13killerpuzzle) July 4, 2018
Supermassive Games CEO Robert Henrysson took to LinkedIn to announce that he was stepping down from his post at the Directive 8020 and Little Nightmares 3 developer, and was leaving its parent company, Nordisk Games.
Henrysson’s announcement comes after the latest entry in The Dark Pictures franchise was released back in May.
“It’s been a fantastic time,” wrote Henrysson. “During my years as Chairman – and later as interim CEO – for Avalanche Studios Group – we saw the studio’s revenue and profit triple. As the CEO of Supermassive Games, I was honoured to guide the studio through intense industry change, broadening its client base and establishing a culture of consistent quality across all aspects of the game development process.
Leading a studio is never a one-man job — it is the entire team’s effort. Our commitment to continuous improvement was, and continues to be, central to everything we do. To everyone at Supermassive Games, I am so grateful for everything I’ve learnt and experienced with all of you. You are the greatest storytelling game studio on earth, you rock! And I wish you all the best in the future.”
Henrysson’s departure comes after Directive 8020 received mixed reviews from fans and reviewers alike (though we enjoyed it, and even included it on our list of best games so far this year). Little Nightmares 3, which was released last October, also experienced mixed reviews.
Supermassive experienced a rough time during the development of Directive 8020, with the game being delayed from its original release window, as well as a “reorganization” in 2024 that saw the studio lay off 30 percent of its staff.
Directive 8020 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Steam.