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Saints Row developer Volition shut down by Embracer Group

By Tomas Franzese August 31, 2023

Volition — the studio behind series like Saints Row — has been shut down by Embracer Group.

Volition was first founded as Parallax Software in 1993, and made a name for itself over the past 30 years with series like Descent, Red Faction, and Saints Row. The studio has had many owners over that period, first being acquired by THQ before being sold to Plaion, which placed the developer under its Deep Silver label. Plaion and Deep Silver were then acquired by Embracer Group in 2018. Its most recent game, a reboot of Saints Row, was released last year to mixed reviews, which caused Embracer Group to then shift ownership of the studio over to Plaion’s sister company, Gearbox Entertainment.

Saints Row is actually a PlayStation Plus Essential game this September, but the studio won’t be around to see that because the decision has finally been made to close it. We first learned of this via a post on X from former Volition VFX artist Ryan Hoss; Volition went on to confirm the closure on LinkedIn.

“This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry,” the message explained. “As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately. To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition for our Volition family members.”

We reached out to Embracer Group for comment to see if it could provide more specific insight into why it chose to close Volition and will update this article when we get a response.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Saints Row reboot still looks wacky, even if it’s formulaic

The main character of Saints Row glides in a wingsuit.

The Saints Row series is making its grand return after seven years. The Saints Row universe fully reset at the end of the Saints Row IV DLC Gat Out of Hell, so Volition's next game is a full-on reboot of the series. After the underwhelming Agents of Mayhem, this reboot allowed the developer to redefine what a Saints Row game could be without the constraints of classic characters or settings. Unfortunately, that new vision is much more plain than I'd hoped despite the series' expected madcap tone.
While the results of this reimagining have the enjoyable and wacky Saints Row flair that one would expect, I was left quite underwhelmed by a recent hands-off preview of several missions, combat, and the open world in Saints Row. This upcoming game is set in a new Southwestern city of Santo Ileso and features a new cast of Saints characters, so Volition has an opportunity to go big and bold here. Ultimately, it's looking formulaic for a series that's known for being off-kilter and wildly creative.
SAINTS ROW – Game Awards Gameplay Trailer
Grounded absurdism
During my hands-off preview, I got to see the new team of Saints in a variety of missions. These include a loan agency robbery gone wrong that results in a big car chase, a raid of a car-loving Panteros gang's headquarters in a helicopter, and a rescue mission for one of the player-character's friends after he's kidnapped by a bunch of Deadmau5-looking crooks from a gang called the Idols.
The new cast of Saints seems likable enough, but the "angry but endearingly funny millennial" tone of each character's writing has yet to be nearly as endearing as classic Saints Row characters like Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington. The "try-hard lulz" writing that the series was known for isn't as funny now as it was in 2015 when the last Saints Row game was released. It's hard to tell from this early look if Volition's writers will succumb to the same unfunny writing problems that plagued 2019's Borderlands 3.

Also, because it's an entirely new cast of characters that have yet to prove themselves to fans, there isn't any nostalgia factor that can help make up for subpar jokes. Currently, Volition's strategy is to give the narrative a sense of "groundedness" despite its kooky aspects to make players care about this character and that narrative.
"Absurdism for the sake of absurdism, that's where everything feels fluffy, and it doesn't feel like anything really means anything," lead writer Jeremy Bernstein said at the preview event. "We worked very hard to avoid that, so there's a groundedness, even to the most absurd things that you do in the game." It remains to be seen if this new, more grounded approach successfully introduces a new cast and setting for Saints Row or just leaves me yearning for the classic Saints and city of Steelport.
Absurdly generic
While each mission that I described earlier does have the Saints Row series' trademark quirk, they aren't exactly pushing the boundaries of what to expect from a third-person, open-world game so far. While I only saw a few side missions, like one where players had to ride shotgun and fend off cops for a jewelry thief, our look at the map and missions suggest that Saints Row may be a fairly boilerplate open-world game.

Gaming

Everything can be customized in the new Saints Row game

Vehicles in Saints Row.

Whereas previous Saints Row games have let players dress up their character however they wanted, the franchise's upcoming reboot title will take that feature a step further. Saints Row gives players even more control over their boss's looks, as well as the final say on how their guns, vehicles, and even gang appear throughout the game.

In a lengthy showcase, Saints Row developer Volition detailed the game's deep customization systems. It all starts with the new boss of the Saints, whom players can make into anyone they want. Customization starts at what has been available in previous games in the franchise -- yes, including crotch and breast sliders -- and then some. If players want, they can make a true-to-life Shrek, or they can create a boss fitted with running blade prosthetics and pearlescent skin. Every part of the body can be customized, and when it comes to facial features, things don't have to be symmetrical either. Players can have their boss look like a veritable Picasso painting if they want.

Gaming

Saints Row reboot delayed, won’t launch alongside Elden Ring

The crew of the Saints Row reboot stands against a wall.

The upcoming Saints Row reboot has been delayed from its original release date of February 25, 2022, to August 23, 2022. The game was revealed just in August, with its original release date landing it in the tail end of what's set to be an incredibly busy month for gaming.

https://twitter.com/SaintsRow/status/1460842656494493699