This past week brought intriguing revelations about the initial vision for 2022's controversial reboot of the Saints Row franchise. As reported by reliable series insider mrsaintsgodzilla21, the original storyline prominently involved returning fan favorite characters like Johnny Gat, Dex, Aisha, Pierce and Shaundi in lead roles. Furthermore, the early plans aimed to strike an 80/20 tonal balance between the urban crime drama of Saints Row 2 and over-the-top action of Saints Row: The Third. The proposed blend suggested a back-to-basics approach, aligning with longstanding fan preferences to see more grounded chaos from the veteran crew.
One especially interesting narrative beat involved the fate of Dex, a recurring secondary character whose ultimate end sparked continued speculation after his betrayal in Saints Row 2. A mission directed by renowned community developer, IdolNinja, would have let players properly confront and finish off Dex onscreen.
Regrettably, publisher Deep Silver eventually demanded shifts in creative direction during development, moving away from established icons that defined the series' identity since 2006. This change in focus to emphasize new student-turned-criminal protagonists alienated the core fanbase upon release.
The Saints Row reboot was initially seen as an opportunity to recapture the magic of the earlier installments. After the release of Saints Row: The Third, there was a growing sense within the community that the games had started taking a turn for the worse. Things went completely bonkers by the time that Saints Row: Gat out of Hell was released, a game that saw the titular character, Johnny Gat, basically go into Hell and rescue the player character, The Boss, from the devil himself.