In a recent press statement, Gun Interactive has stated that the studio considers 2023’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game “fully realized” and will no longer be providing further updates, support, or content, as they are looking to move on to other projects.
The game is another asymmetrical online multiplayer horror game featuring a killer and four victims that are trying to escape or defeat them, much like The Evil Dead game which we covered here, and the Friday the 13th game, which have also both stopped getting updates and support, and have both been delisted from all storefronts.
The difference here is that the studio isn’t planning on delisting the game anytime soon, but if it follows suit with other games of its ilk, it likely won’t be long before they announce that as well. Who really knows with these types of things, but with the consistently popular and massively successful Dead by Daylight trucking along and featuring a cast of killers and victims from nearly ever popular horror film, television, and gaming franchise in the last 40 years, it doesn’t look good for other asymmetrical horror games.
In the previously mentioned press statement, this is what Gun Interactive had to say:
“We feel proud of the game we’ve made and we’re happy that we’re at a point where we feel The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has reached its full potential,”
“From the very beginning, we’ve always had a clear and concise vision for this game. We wanted to push the envelope on multiplayer asymmetrical horror, shed light on this iconic film to a newer generation, and place folks into the beautiful but macabre world of Muerto County and we feel we have achieved that.”
“For instance, telling the story of Maria Flores and her friends while bringing horror icons into the franchise like Kane Hodder, Barbara Crampton, Scout Taylor Compton, and Skeet Ulrich was incredibly rewarding and important to us.”
“While creating something new, we still sought to honor the 1974 film authentically, working from Kim Henkel’s character bible as well as bringing back franchise favorites Bill Mosely and Ed Neal. And at this point, we feel that we have seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre fully realized.”
“With that being said, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will not be receiving any further future content or support. This means that there will be no more DLC, balance updates, or bug fixes, after our upcoming May patch. You can still expect a few more patches in the future in order to transition towards peer-to-peer matchmaking.”
“As a creative studio, it’s imperative to communicate that we’ve seen this vision through to the natural creative end,” it said. “We are a scrappy group of horror heads and artists continuously working on bringing cinematic experiences to you all. We appreciate the folks who understand the vision we are bringing to the asymmetrical multiplayer horror space because let’s face it, it may not be for everyone.”
“But those who get it, those who have widened their gaming circles to play The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, those who have reveled in the terror, horror, and beauty of this world with their friends keep us motivated and ready to continue to do what we do best – make your favorite horror games. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I don’t see much room for the survival of standalone experiences focusing solely on only one of the characters from the massive lineup that DBD has, unless developers learn to put their energy into story-driven campaigns surrounding these horror icons.
I would even go so far as to suggest that if they are so interested in making online multiplayer experiences, simply make the campaign co-operative and engaging, it seems to be working for so many other studios right now. Still, I’m curious to see what Gun Interactive comes up with next.
