When Lexington-based interactive game publisher Gun Media LLC surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $700,000 on Nov. 13 – the day before the campaign was scheduled to end – its creative team gleefully posted: “Jason has been unleashed!”
The company’s third video game project, “Friday the 13th: The Game,” will take players back to the familiar haunt of Camp Crystal Lake, thus bringing the smash horror franchise back to life for the first time since the original 1989 video game.
“It’s the biggest horror franchise on earth. Period. In terms of global recognition and box office revenue, there’s no competition,” said lead creative and founder of Gun Media Wes Keltner.
The multiplayer gameplay will stay true to the Jason Voorhees versus camp counselor scenarios from the original fi lm series, allowing players either to exact bloody vengeance as the hockeymasked killer or fight for their lives as a classic horror stereotype – “the girl next door,” “the jock” or “the edgy guy.” Other features include a fear meter system, make-your-own movie trailers that highlight user’s gameplay, and the ability to unlock multiple characters (including multiple fi lm versions of Jason).
In only a month, the creative team exceeded its fundraising goal, with more than $820,000 raised by more than 12,000 Kickstarter backers. Keltner said the 30-day crowdfunding campaign was “like a marathon.” According to the site’s tiered reward system, these extra funds will support behind-the-scenes interviews and gory character moves such as Sleeping Bag Kill, Mirror Smash and Head Crush.
Since the launch of the fundraising campaign, Gun Media has enjoyed a media frenzy from Twitter blowouts, game trailer views and extensive national news coverage, including mentions from Forbes, IGN and major gaming outlets. Combined, this team of designers, directors, producers and publishers has more than 20 years of experience in the gaming industry. And the the Gun Media team, comprising University of Kentucky graduates, do it all from offices located in the heart of downtown Lexington.
The game was originally announced at the IGN convention last year as “Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp,” an homage to classic horror that was most heavily influenced by the “Friday the 13th” movies. Then, the project was radically transformed once Sean Cunningham, the first film’s writer/director and the current license holder for the franchise’s interactive rights, personally reached out to Gun Media. After reviewing the initial design ideas and artwork, Cunningham was so impressed by the team’s vision and passion for the project that he offered a gratis license.
The license was, quite literally, a gamechanger.
“The expectation level got ratcheted to a 10,” Keltner said. The team was now challenged with channelling the visual style of the classic series and doubly considering all creative choices to avoid any red tape or pushback. According to Keltner, “This was no longer a little, tiny indie project. … The budget now was gonna have to go a lot higher to do this right, because there was about to become a legion of fans that are gonna come to our door and start knocking.”
Key to the project’s success has been mobilizing a built-in fan base. “That same passion from the horror ground that loves those films stepped right in whenever we announced we were making this game on Kickstarter,” said Keltner. “That groundswell was incredibly humbling.”
After obtaining the license, the game creators quickly realized that to satisfy the die-hard fans (including themselves), the narrative and visual details would need to precisely match the series’ canon, leading to meticulously drafted designs of Jason’s exact machete and the appearance of his mask. Moreover, the Gun Media team vows to incorporate fan feedback throughout the development stage so that fans become “part of our team,” said Keltner.
“We’re trying to do this correctly, and that’s not just PR talk,” he added. “We’re just as big of fans as the fans who are going to be lining up to play the game.”
“Friday the 13th: The Game” is currently being developed with the help of Colorado-based game studio Illfonic. The game is expected to be released sometime within the next 12 to 18 months.