Highlights

  • Sumo Nottingham is stepping aside from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
  • The studio spent four years working on the live service asymmetrical horror game, which was released to positive buzz in August 2023.
  • It is still unknown who will be taking over the project, but publisher Gun Interactive insists the developer swap will not impact the game's content plans or longevity.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is swapping developers, with Sumo Nottingham planning to give up the reins of the project to an as-of-yet-undisclosed studio. The unexpected announcement stirred quite a commotion among the fandom, even as both the project's outgoing developer and publisher insisted that it wouldn't impact the future of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The asymmetrical horror game was originally released for PC and the last two PlayStation and Xbox console generations in August 2023, following a four-year development cycle at Sumo Nottingham. Its critical reception was fairly decent, with many reviewers praising The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for capturing the vibes of the seminal 1974 horror film it was based on and packaging its premise into a compelling gameplay loop. Half a year since its release, the game boasts an OpenCritic rating of 75%, based on dozens of scores, as well as more than 14,000 user recommendations on Steam.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
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Despite that fairly positive buzz, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is about to undergo a drastic change in the form of a developer swap. Sumo Nottingham took to Twitter on February 23 to announce the move, stating that it will soon start working on bringing its replacement up to speed before it moves on. The studio thanked both the fans and publisher Gun Interactive, which it labeled as a group of "fantastic partners," for supporting the project.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Developer Switch Took Fans by Surprise

The unexpected announcement seemingly confused the most vocal section of the player base. Many fans who took the time to comment on the development expressed their befuddlement with the move, especially because it came at a time when the game was seemingly on an upswing; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre just received a big new update in early February and is currently free-to-play for all Xbox Game Pass Core and Ultimate members. Both of those moves were meant to help it maintain player interest and grow its user base.

On the other hand, development turmoil implied by this news can ostensibly only have the opposite effect on the game's momentum, a fact that wasn't lost on many fans who chimed in on the situation so far. Some of them even expressed concern that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre would soon share the fate of Evil Dead: The Game, another high-profile asymmetrical horror experience that was abandoned in 2023, just one year after hitting the market.

More News About the Future of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Coming Next Week

Gun Interactive has insisted that this move will not impact the project's "support, content, or longevity." How far its plans for the game extend may become clear next week, when the publisher promised to share more news about the future of what many consider to be one of the best horror games of 2023. Meanwhile, Sumo Nottingham revealed it will soon move on to its "next exciting project," albeit without citing a specific reason for leaving The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.