Friday the 13th: The Game delayed so developer can add single-player modes

I bring good news about Friday the 13th: The Game, the survival-horror summer camp thriller that successfully ran the Kickstarter gauntlet back in late 2015. It was initially intended to purely be an asynchronous multiplayer game, kind of like Evolve except that the monster is also the hunter, but developer Gun Media announced today that it is adding a "single-player experience" as well. Unfortunately, with the good comes a spot of bad, and the expansion of the game means it's not going to make it out this year.

"While the addition of single player and AI bots means a bigger game for all, they also mean a delay from a fall 2016 release window to a new launch window scheduled for spring 2017," the studio said. "Gun Media and IllFonic will use the time to lay down the groundwork for the single player experience while continuing development of the multiplayer portion with additional content."

The single-player element will include both offline play with AI bots and "several missions ripped straight from the films." Tommy Jarvis, who has killed Jason at least once previously, will also be added to the game as a playable character, and Packanack Lodge is coming in as a third playable map.

Under the new release schedule, Kickstarter backers and those who preorder will be given beta access this fall, while the multiplayer release will come out in the spring of 2017, followed by the single-player mode—that is, the full game—in the summer. The digital release has also gone up a bit in price as a result of the changes, jumping from $30 to $40.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.