Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees is finally joining the ranks of Dead by Daylight.
Voorhees is, of course, one of horror’s most memorable villains. While it’s tempting to assume our Jason has been stalking survivors all this time in Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetrical survival horror game, this is actually the first time he’s making an appearance alongside other horror icons like Chucky, Freddy Krueger, and Leatherface.
You can see the announcement yourself in the reveal teaser below:
Dead by Daylight has welcomed all kinds of horror characters to the game in its ten-year existence, priding itself on being the only game where “horror’s greatest franchises collide”.
“The mask is on. The machete is dripping. The massacre has begun. Dead by Daylight: Jason,” the studio teased, confirming he’ll arrive on 16th June, 2026.
“Trapped forever in a realm of eldritch evil where even death is not an escape, four determined Survivors face a bloodthirsty Killer in a vicious game of nerve and wits. Pick a side and step into a world of tension and terror with horror gaming’s best asymmetrical multiplayer,” Behaviour added in the video description.
What we don’t yet know is what his ability will be, or if the iconic setting of Crystal Lake will pop up as a playable level. Interestingly, the promotional material only uses the name Jason and the mask – not the Friday the 13th name itself or his surname, Voorhees – so quite how the copyright snafu
Last month, Behaviour Interactive confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs, telling Eurogamer that a “portion of Behaviour Interactive’s business has traditionally focused on external development partnerships. In recent months, demand for mobile and casual external development projects has declined”.
Don’t forget that Jason’s set to star in his own game, too. Last summer, Horror Inc.’s Robbie Barsamian revealed that not only was a new movie on the cards, but a game – this one a prequel – was also in development, which is great news for fans of Illfonic’s game that died with a whimper after that aforementioned licensing snarfu in 2024.
Illfonic’s Friday the 13th: The Game launched back in 2017, and, despite a rocky start, proved to be a solidly entertaining – and commercially successful – horror experience.
Unfortunately, its development ended prematurely in 2018 as a result of a lawsuit relating to the ownership of the Friday the 13th licence. It eventually shut down on 31st December 2024, resulting in layoffs as Illfonic “realign[ed] to a refined strategy”.