Summary
Despite having a wide cast of original killers,Dead By Daylight’s crossovers and licensed DLC content have turned the asymmetrical horror into a de facto horror hall of fame. In the years since Behaviour Interactiveadded Michael Myers as its first guest killer, he’s been joined by a veritable who’s who of horror. Even though the killer roster is impressive, there’s always been one titan of terror noticeably missing from The Fog. But he may be closer than ever to joining in on the carnage.
Jason Voorhees is more than likely the one who comes to most folks’ minds when they think of a slasher movie or even horror movies in general. The hulking, hockey mask-wearing murderer has proven to be an icon of the genre that’s extended into pop culture at large. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that players and horror fans alike have been clamoring for the big guy to joinDead by Daylight’s killer roster. But the character has been caught up in legal entanglements murkier than the waters of Crystal Lake, making his inclusion in any sort of game hard, if not impossible – until very recently, that is.
TheDead by Daylightdevelopers want Jason in the game, as they’ve said many times over the years, but fans of Jason’s franchise likely know all too well about the legal issues that have been keeping that from happening. OriginalFriday the 13thwriter Victor Miller was disputing ownership of the series with the original producer/director Sean Cunningham and his company Horror, Inc. It was a years-long back and forth between the two, but eventually, it was settled that Miller owns rights to the story of the first film, while Cunningham and Horror, Inc. own the character of Jason and just about everything that came after the original movie. With that settled, it seems there’s a big push on the part of Horror, Inc. to make up for time lost to the lawsuit.
His name was Jason… and today, is his birthday.
A few weeks ago, an X profile was created announcing the start of the succinctly named “The Jason Universe.” Essentially, Horror, Inc. is launching a multi-platform campaign focused on getting the slasher back out into pop culture where he belongs with a focus on “appealing to today’s horror audiences.” The announcement was followed swiftly byJason’s surprise appearance inMultiVersus, marking the character’s first appearance in a video game sinceFriday the 13th: The Game’s release in 2017.
MultiVersusopened the floodgates for Jason to make appearances again. If he can show up in a stylized platform fighter that primarily features kid-friendly cartoon characters and superheroes, he can show up anywhere;,especially in agame likeDead By Daylight, which has become a functional hall of fame for all of cinema’s greatest killers and monsters. One look at theDead by Daylight’s licensed killer rosterreads like a horror fan’s dream crossover that Jason is very conspicuously missing from.
Another reason Jason is likely to appear inDead by Daylightsoon is that his own game is about to suffer the same fate as so many Crystal Lake camp counselors.Friday the 13th: The Gamewas delisted from digital storeslast year. Servers will stay online through the end of 2024, after which the future seems bleak for the title. WithFriday the 13th: The Gameon its way out the door this year, a guest spot in theDead by Daylightlineup could fill the Jason-shaped hole in the asymmetrical horror game market.
At the end of the day, although nothing is confirmed yet, Jason making an appearance in The Fog probably isn’t a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when.” As the definitive 80’s horror slasher,Jason’s absence fromDead by Daylighthas been sorely feltthus far, and it’s exciting to speculate what kind of abilities the developers will cook up for him whenever he makes his long-awaited arrival.
Dead by Daylight
WHERE TO PLAY
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity.Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor.This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
