Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Alien, Bubba, Chucky, Sadako, Nemesis, Wesker, Pyramid Head, Pinhead, Ghost Face, Demogorgon, Pig, and now Vecna. Dead by Daylight has been racking up the licensed killers over the years but there’s always been one notable absence. Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th has never stepped into the fog with everyone else, leaving a mask-shaped hole in the center of the game.
One of the continually surprising things about Dead by Daylight has been the multiplayer game’s ability to secure unlikely licenses. No-one thought that the Alien or Chucky would ever be included, yet here they are and they’ve settled in quite nicely. So it’s always been a bigger surprise that Friday the 13th’s Jason hasn’t been a part of the game, but that may be about to change.
This comes from the recently announced Jason Universe project. Horror, Inc. – current owner of the franchise – is planning an expansion for the character. Gone are the days of infrequent films and games sadly being shut down, instead the company will be sending Jason out into the world. Thanks to reporting from IGN, we know that the Jason Universe project will include “entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more”.
The first big sign that something has changed in Jason’s world is the fact he just landed in Warner Bros’ MultiVersus. Hitting the game along with The Matrix’s Agent Smith, this is a considerable departure for a character previously not seen in a game since 2019. While this may not indicate he’ll definitely be coming to Dead by Daylight, it does hint that the formerly tight grip around the character is loosening.
The only potential fly in this ointment is that some of the legal troubles surrounding the intellectual property may yet need to be fully resolved. While Friday the 13th and Jason himself are now owned by Horror, Inc. the original film’s rights are in the possession of screenwriter Victor Miller who is not associated with this project. What this means for a potential crossover with Dead by Daylight has yet to be seen, but I have to live in hope.
If you’d like to check out more about the Jason Universe project, you can sign up for email alerts over on the official site. Should you be starting out on your Dead by Daylight adventure, make sure you do it right with our list of the current DBD codes for a few extra Bloodpoints, or get the lowdown on who to play as with our DBD killer tier list.
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