In August, Gun Interactive will release its latest game focusing on multiplayer, and that’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; an asymmetrical game based on the 1974 film.

We recently had the chance to talk to Gun about the game, and we asked about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s development, the chances of seeing a crossover, Easter eggs, and loads more! Read on for the full Texas Chain Saw Massacre interview.

Texas Chain Saw Massacre Q&A:

Q: Can you tell us how the studio came into possession of the rights for the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Was this always something the team intended to get, or was this game going under some initial prototyping, maybe as a different project at first? 

A: Gun and the rights holders to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre met nearly 5 years ago. They were fans of our previous game, Friday the 13th, and wanted the same white glove treatment for Texas. Obviously, everyone at Gun adores the 1974 film and were honored to not only be trusted with such an iconic brand, but also to work alongside Kim Henkel, the original screenwriter of the film. 

Q: We haven’t really heard much about the console version in terms of features, specifically on the PS5 side of things. Will there be DualSense support, as in haptic feedback and adaptive triggers? If so, what can you tell us about them? How have they helped immerse the experience further? 

A: Our goal throughout development has been to ensure every player is able to engage with the full vision for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, regardless of platform. To that end, we’re not focusing as much on specific features per platform so that we can ensure a consistent experience for everyone.

Q: What frame rate will the game run on last-gen and on current-gen? Will there be any performance or quality modes players can choose?

A: Similar to many titles released this generation, we’ll offer both performance and quality modes on the high end current gen machines, with a single mode on the last gen consoles. On the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, players will be able to choose between 60fps Performance Mode at reduced resolution, or 30fps Quality Mode at a higher resolution. On the Xbox Series S, players will use Quality Mode.

Q: Has the dev team thought of the Year 1 post-launch support already? Are we getting a roadmap before release?

A: We will not be providing a roadmap, but we are always thinking about what the first year will look like for our fans. We want to provide as much content as possible, but obviously the success of the game will dictate what the first 12-18 months looks like for new content. 

Q: Now we’ve heard before that adding content from other movies isn’t easy due to licensing issues. Would this mean that we can expect more original content from the studio in the future then, if further film rights can’t be secured? 

A: That is correct, we only have rights to the 1974 film. The ace up our sleeve is that we get to work side-by-side with Kim. He already has a deep archive of characters, locations, and back stories that we get to build from. This is how we got Sissy and Johnny. 

Q: The asymmetrical system of this game is rather new in a sense that it’s 3 killers versus 4 survivors, instead of 1 killer. What was the reasoning behind this? What has the process of balancing this been like? The biggest challenge?

A: At Gun, we never want to make the same game twice. When we sat down to even consider making a Texas Chain Saw game the first thing we all agreed upon was that it had to be unique. We made our mark with Friday the 13th, and now it’s time to innovate and push this genre forward. 

When you look at the 1974 film you’ll notice that it’s more than just Leatherface. It’s about an entire family of cannibals. They work as a unit. That’s what we drilled down into and focused on for the game. This naturally led us to the 3v4 formula. 

But this can also cause a problem with balance. We spent nearly a year on balance. High level abstract discussions which lead to prototype, which then lead to iteration. Over and over again, until we landed on something that we all agreed felt correct. It’s mind numbing, but so very crucial to get right. 

Q: Why did you decide to go for an original cast of five victims and a new backstory instead of using the elements from the movie? Was this because of creative freedom or licensing limitations?

A: We didn’t want to create a game that mirrors the film in lockstep. You’ve seen that story. You know how it goes for everyone. We thought it was more interesting to look at what was going on with that family, in that house, months before the film took place. This gave us more liberties to introduce characters you haven’t seen. Making this decision gives us more creative license to expand and not feel confined to only the elements and characters seen in the original film. 

Q: Are players going to find some easter eggs and other subtle references to the movie and characters that may go unnoticed by some? Perhaps a super secret one that’s hidden by meeting certain criterias? 

A: If you played Friday the 13th, I think you’ll know what to expect. We’re horror nerds through and through. We’re also obsessive about details. So yes, if you look around (while trying not to die) you’ll see loads of easter eggs throughout each level. 

As for super secret easter eggs… no comment. 

• Related Reading: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Crossplay Details Revealed; No Cross-Progression System

Q: How did the studio create the sense of dread and horror from the movie while staying true to PvP mechanics?

A: This starts with spending months in the state of Texas. Going to every filming location, and getting lost in the rural countryside of central Texas. Until you’ve immersed yourself completely in an area, it’s difficult to bring it to life in a game. 

We took over 10K photos for reference. We studied the flora and fauna of the area. Discussed weather conditions from that era, and looked at the migration patterns of birds. If you hear birds chirping in the game, they better be the exact bird found in TX during that part of the season. Some call us obsessive, we say passionate. LOL

Q: PvP is nice and all, but has the team thought about potentially adding offline bots? What about an offline mode in general? People were really fond of the Virtual Cabin from Friday the 13th, I’m sure most would love to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre get a similar mode. 

A: We did not consider offline bots for this title. We learned a lot from Friday the 13th and the time that is required to make a feature like that. Believable bots in games are incredibly time consuming and difficult to do well. This would have cut our main game features back dramatically, thus impacting the overall experience we wanted to create. 

That was our focus. Push the asymmetrical horror genre forward as much as possible. And that comes from an unwavering goal of creating a unique PvP experience steeped in the world of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Q: While the game is based on the Texas Chain Saw IP, has there been discussions of crossovers with other horror movie/game franchises?

A: Crossovers are difficult from a licensing standpoint. You have to get a lot of companies, rights holders, distributors, and film studios to sign off. Everyone wants to be paid from that. It’s a very costly endeavor. 

Also, our only focus was to deliver the best experience possible based on that original film. Obviously if the game is a hit, I’m sure there will be interesting ideas that pop up, and it’s much easier to have those discussions if the game is successful!

Q: Can we expect a beta before launch? Would there be any rewards for it that will be given to participants that carries over to the final version of the game?

A: We had a tech test a few months ago that gave us the data we were seeking. There will not be another beta as we’ve been using that data from the TT to harden the build and the servers to prep for launch. Doing another beta would slow us down and distract us from delivering a solid launch build. 

Q: With so many multiplayer games these days launching as F2P, has the studio or publisher considered going the free-to-play route? If so, why/why not?

A: No, we are not interested in creating free-to-play games. We are horror nerds, first and foremost, that have a passion for game design. When you get into the world of F2P it’s a whole different structure than what we’re interested in making. We don’t view F2P as “bad”, it just isn’t how we think nor the types of games we are drawn to make.

Q: Has the studio (or publisher) thought of launching the game on PlayStation Plus alongside Game Pass? Or is that something that’s not allowed (if a game is coming to Game Pass and it can’t be on PS Plus at the same time, etc.)?

A: We were approached by Microsoft to be included in their subscription service GamePass which is an exclusive deal. Therefore we can not accept another offer from any other platform related to a subscription service. 

Q: Will we be getting the traditional Battle Pass micro-transaction model that’s in almost all multiplayer games these days?

A: We’ve discussed this internally. There’s pros and cons to that model. As of right now we’re looking at a more traditional DLC plan without a pass. 

Q: Has the team thought of adding VR support to it? I mean, that might suck from a competitive standpoint, but it should add to the suspense and horror factor. In the very least, it’d be cool, even if it’s a one off mode!

A: Oh man, that would be interesting. But we would have to make significant changes to visuals to pull that off. The best VR games are built from the ground up for VR only. It is not something we’re focusing on for this title. But we would love to run around in VR with a chainsaw!

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be released this August 18 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC,