The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game is a new project from Gun Interactive and Sumo Nottingham, and with the team at Gun known to be massive horror nerds, they’re among the best choices to bring the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre IP to its own horror game. If you didn’t already know, they’re also the team behind the popular Friday the 13th game, which sadly shut down its servers in 2020 due to licensing issues. In a conversation with PCGamesN, Gun’s creative director Ronnie Hobbs reassures us that the Slaughter Family won’t go the same way as Jason Vorhees and his mother.
“The situation surrounding Friday the 13th was inherently more complicated than it is with Texas,” says Hobbs. “With Texas, we are dealing directly with Kim Henkel, the sole owner of the IP. We’ve been working closely with him during the entire process not only from a creative standpoint, but also a legal one. We have been as diligent as possible during this entire experience to ensure things go smoothly.”
While Hobbs couldn’t go into detail about what went down with Friday the 13th, it seems the team has learnt from the experience, making sure things are more secure with the Texas Chainsaw IP – especially since the process is such a two-way street.
“After the success of Friday the 13th,” continues Hobbs, “we had a lot of potential suitors contacting us about turning their IP into games. We spent quite a while sorting through and weighing our options before finally being introduced to Kim Henkel. Once we discovered that both sides had an immense interest in creating a game, we quickly knew Texas was going to be our next project.”
The story of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre game actually takes place just before the events of the 1974 film; a prequel, of sorts. However, familiar locations like the family house and the gas station take center stage in the game’s maps. Hopefully, with Kim Henkel so involved in the production, there is room for new content to be added in the future. However, setting the game before the movie allows for new original content, too.
“Having the game set a few months before the original 1974 film allows us to create new characters without being bound too tightly by the entire franchise,” Hobbs tells me. When we ask what this means for the other films in the franchise, he hints, “Obviously, as things move forward, we hope to expand out if possible, so you never know what the future holds. Film rights are obviously a complicated aspect to navigate.”
Fans of Gun’s Friday the 13th will be pleased to know that while there are crucial differences regarding the game’s legalities, gameplay similarities are in abundance. If you enjoyed the variety in escape options and frantically searching the house for items, you’ll find the same mechanics in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. There are no cars or boats – yet – but multiple parts are required to open each different exit. As a family member, you can rummage in cupboards and freezers if you suspect a hidden victim is within. Texas does have its own unique angle, though, which is why the game is perfect for multiplayer gameplay – a whole family of killers playing at once. Who knew brutal murderers were such fans of teamwork.
If you can’t wait for the Slaughter family to be let loose in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, make sure you know exactly when the game’s release date drops. And if it’s the survival aspect you love most, fill the wait with some other survival games that we can’t get enough of.
