For many months, console players of Friday the 13th: The Game have been begging the developers at Gun Media and IllFonic for host migration. Because the game has only been out for a few months, these complaints have been going on since the beginning. The console version of Friday the 13th the game relies on peer-to-peer connectivity (which is not the case on PC, where the game uses dedicated servers for public matches), so matches will simply crash out if and when the host of said match decides to leave.
The solution was obvious to many: implement host migration, so, if the host leaves a console match of Friday the 13th: The Game, the system will simply pause the game to select a new host and continue the match when it has completed this process. That way, no one loses out on experience and rage quitters are only hurting themselves. But Gun Media and IllFonic have been reluctant to publicly support the notion of Host Migration ever since launch, and, today, we know why. They have an even better solution: dedicated servers on consoles.
In a long blog post, Ben Strauss, a developer at Gun Media wrote “While [host migration] is potentially good, it stands as a band-aid rather than a full fix. We’re opting for the full fix.” As for a timeline, Strauss wrote “We don’t have a set date at this time. We are aiming for late-September, but it is not out of the question that it might take more time and could go into October before we release.”
But it’s safe to say that, barring any setbacks, Friday the 13th: The Game will have dedicated servers on consoles some time this Fall. This will be a welcome sight for a game that is already getting huge updates that emphasize both stability and additional content, ensuring the game will have a long shelf life. That’s good news for Friday the 13th fans.
