Today’s Wordle Answer (#446) – September 8, 2022

Gun Media and Nighthawk Interactive, the publishers behind the asymmetrical survival horror game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, have recently teased a new Family member (the game’s version of killers) to join its ever-growing roster of characters.

The news comes from a teaser posted to the official Gun Media YouTube channel. Although the video isn’t that long, it starts with the character Virginia searching through a toolbox and is quickly interrupted by Hands, the newest member of the Family, the playable killers in the game. Even though this trailer doesn’t show him in action, we do know that his weapon of choice will be a hammer. Gun Media is even aware of how menacing he is because, in a press release, the studio makes it a point to say, “That boy is big!”

That wasn’t the only announcement that the studio made. In addition to teasing a new character, players will be able to take advantage of double XP weekend that’ll take place from March 17 – 20.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has received a steady stream of content this year. In March, players not only received a new map called The Mill but also the ability to play as a new Survivor. Then, in February, Gun Media turned one of its killers into a thirst trap.

For more on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, check out our story highlighting how Gun media went the extra mile to ensure the world felt more lifelike and unsettling.

Absurd Ventures, the studio created by former GTA boss Dan Houser, has announced that its upcoming video game universe, A Better Paradise, will kick off with an audio series that’s scheduled to release on June 10 on all major podcast platforms.

The upcoming audio series, written and created by Houser, will be called “A Better Paradise: Volume One: An Aftermath” and will consist of 12 episodes. It will feature various actors, such as Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead, Shamier Anderson from John Wick: Chapter 4, and Rain Spencer, who starred in The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Volume One: An Aftermath is just the first of many projects the studio is working on. The studio has confirmed that various TV shows and video games are set in the same world as A Better Paradise.

According to a press release, the upcoming series tells the story of the “ill-fated development of an ambitious but addictive digital game-world project led by inventor and psychologist Dr. Mark Tyburn.” Eventually, the team abandoned the project, only for it to be discovered by someone else.

Absurd Ventures was created in 2021, a year after Houser left Rockstar. What’s notable about Houser’s newly created studio is, as this news suggests, that its work will be featured in various mediums. Future projects may also include animation and comic books.

Because the Byers family moved out of Hawkins at the end of Stranger Things Season 3, Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and his girlfriend, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), didn’t get many scenes together in Season 4. There were even some signs that the relationship was in trouble and potentially coming to an end. However, one of the first pictures from Stranger Things Season 5 shows Jonathan and Nancy back together, doing what they do best: getting in over their heads in danger.

Those aren’t happy expressions on their faces, so we’ll just have to assume that Jonathan and Nancy are seeing something horrifying. And although he’s not pictured, the safe assumption is that Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) is driving his car. Last season, Nancy and Jonathan both faced dangerous situations without each other. Since the series ends with this fifth season, it’s nice to know they’re facing the latest threat together.

Additionally, since the Season 4 finale opened up Hawkins even further to the Upside Down, there’s a strong chance that our two lovebirds are reacting to something otherworldly that shouldn’t exist in this plane. And we wouldn’t be shocked if more creatures from the Upside Down crossover to our world as well.

Stranger Things Season 5 is currently in production and will premiere on Netflix in 2025.

Epic is teaming up with renowned singer Billie Eilish to introduce three new songs from her newly released album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, to Fortnite Festival. The newly added songs from the album are playable today as of 5 PM PT/8 PM ET.

This marks the first time music has come to Fortnite Festival on the same day it released elsewhere. The upcoming songs that players will be able to jam out to will consist of “Chihiro,” “The Diner,” And “Lunch.”

It’s also worth mentioning that Fortnite Festival season 3 is centered around Billie Eilish, similar to how season 2 was with Lady Gaga. Several songs of hers, as well as three in-game skins and other accessories, are available for purchase.

Billie Eilish isn’t the only singer Epic has collaborated with. As previously mentioned, the studio recently partnered with Lady Gaga. But in the past, Epic has worked with artists such as The Weeknd, Travis Scott, J Balvin, and even Eminem. Although not all of them have songs in Fortnite Festival they all have skins in the game.

This wasn’t the only announcement Fortnite made today. In preparation for Chapter 5 Season 3’s launch, the studio teased a crossover with Bethesda’s Fallout.

Stephen King’s next book is almost here. You Like It Darker, a collection of short stories, releases Tuesday, May 21. Published by King’s longtime publisher Scribner, You Like It Darker will join King’s wildly impressive bibliography that already includes over 10 story collections–not to mention the 60-plus novels. If you’re a King fan, you can save big on your preorder right now. You Like It Darker is discounted to $18.90 (was $30) at Amazon, which represents a savings of 37%. The Kindle version is available to preorder for $15, and Audible Premium Plus members can use their monthly credit for the audiobook edition.

If you’d rather enjoy the upcoming collection as an audiobook, consider checking out Audible. New members are eligible for one month of Premium Plus for free, and it comes with a bonus credit right now. This means you’ll get two Audible credits that can be used to redeem audiobooks from the Premium Plus catalog. Those audiobooks will be yours to keep, even if your subscription lapses.

If you’re a current or lapsed Audible member, you can buy three credits for $38. Not concerned about other audiobooks? The You Like It Darker: Stories audiobook is available for $18 (down from $26).

If you enjoy You Like It Darker and decide to check out King’s other short story collections, here’s a list of King story collections available on Amazon. Or, if you want the complete opposite Stephen King experience, check out The Dark Tower eight-book box set for $77 (list price is $161). The Dark Tower series is King’s longest work, and these eight dark fantasy novels are stellar reads, even if you don’t like King’s traditional horror.

Stephen King Short Story Collections

EA Sports College Football 25 is due to hit this summer, but that comes with a caveat for fans: It’s not going to be available on older consoles or PC. So while you can preorder College Football 25 on PlayStation 5 and on Xbox Series X from Amazon right now, you might also be in the market for one of those shiny new(ish) game consoles on which to play it.

Luckily, Walmart has you covered with some discounted PS5 Slim and Xbox Series X consoles, both of which come bundled with games to get your new console library started. The PS5 Slim bundle comes with Spider-Man 2, while the Xbox Series X bundle packs in Diablo 4.

While both the PS5 and Xbox are offered in digital-only versions, both these consoles sport disc drives, if keeping physical media around is important to you.

You’ve got a few other options for preordering College Football 25 so you can be ready for game day when it launches on July 19. The game comes in three different editions at various price points, with the standard edition running you the usual price of $70. If you spring for the Deluxe Edition of MVP Bundle, at $100 and $150 respectively, you’ll get access to the game three days ahead of everyone else, along with Ultimate Team packs, in-game currency, and digital uniform items. The MVP Bundle also comes with the Deluxe Edition of Madden NFL 25. Check out our full College Football 25 preorder guide for all the details.