The Texas Chainsaw Massacre multiplayer game developers say they want to avoid the same fate that befell Friday the 13.
The developers behind the upcoming The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have stated that they do not want the game to go down the same path as Friday the 13th: The Game. Like The Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an asymmetrical horror game based on the hit 1974 film. The game acts as a sort of pseudo-prequel while showcasing iconic locations. The developer is the same company that worked on the 2017 Friday the 13th game, Gun Interactive. In many ways, the same staff and developers. Given the circumstances surrounding the end of Friday the 13th, Gun Interactive made sure that didn’t happen for TCM.
Back when Friday the 13th was at its peak with a year of post-release support, the horror franchise ended up embroiled in an ugly and protracted legal battle that affected the game’s development.
Illfonic and Gun Interactive were told they could no longer develop content for the game. This also led to the shutdown of multiplayer servers in 2020. Gun then announced that Friday the 13th: The Game would be out of digital stores at the end of 2023 due to the expiration of Gun’s license. The online game ceased to exist a year later. The studio’s creative director discussed how The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would avoid the same fate as Jason Vorhees and his franchise.
In an interview with PCGamesN, creative director Ronnie Hobbs claims that the legal situation surrounding Friday the 13th was incredibly complicated. The franchise had multiple rights holders. In the case of TCM, there is only one sole owner of the IP, Kim Henkel. The developers worked closely with her not only creatively but also legally.
Hobbs said that they took great care to ensure that the game’s release was smooth and did not cause any legal problems.
Hobbs also explained how Kim Henkel was involved in creating the game with Gun Interactive. He also explained the latitude they gave the team in adapting the IP for the game. The prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre allows for more original content not directly lifted from the franchise to be included in the game. Hobbs also hints that possible expansions could be in the works as things progress.
Source: PCGamesN
