Volition and the Embracer Group hoped that the Saints Row reboot would renew interest in the franchise. Unfortunately, the game did not meet the company’s expectations and cast doubt about the future of the series.
Saints Row was once touted as a competition to Grand Theft Auto series. The series was, however, vastly different in terms of its tone and gameplay. The series went overboard with subsequent releases, moving further and further away from reality, carving its own niche and gaining a cult following.
Unfortunately, Volition’s Saints Row reboot failed to capture the unique craziness of the series. Because of this, Saints Row ultimately flopped. The new game was a critical and commercial failure, struggling to live up to the legacy of the franchise.
The lackluster sales and underwhelming reviews can be attributed to the dated graphics, poor gameplay mechanics, and dull story.
With the struggles of Saints Row, Embracer Group is now re-evaluating its approach to greenlighting new titles.
According to the company’s latest financial reports, the Saints Row reboot failed to meet the company’s expectations. However, the game’s publisher, Embracer Group, assured its investors that it is still “making a healthy risk-adjusted profit on games.
The financial report goes on to suggest a stricter funding policy needs to be implemented. “We have therefore increased management focus and efforts to optimize investments and efficiency across the group even further.”
One particular sentence in the report sums up the company’s new approach for new titles: “each project has to earn its right to exist.” The future of Saints Row is in jeopardy given the new strategy.
The report adds, “We will increase our efforts to put quality first even further, and make sure we create unique positive player experiences.”
Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors previously expressed his disappointment at the performance of Saints Row, saying:
Personally, I had hoped for a greater reception to the game.
It’s been very polarising. There are a lot of things that could be said in detail around it, but I’m with one hand happy to see lots of gamers and fans happy, and at the same time I’m a bit sad to also see fans not happy, so it’s difficult.
This new development also casts doubt on the possibility of Saints Row getting a DLC. Another studio may be tasked with reviving the struggling franchise. If the Saints Row franchise is taken away from Volition, it is uncertain what game the studio will develop next.
Volition could try and revive the Red Faction series, which last saw an entry in 2011. However, it may be complicated as Volition was recently transferred to Gearbox Software from Deep Silver. The latter still owns the rights to the Red Faction franchise.
