Saints Row dev Volition announce closure after series reboot flopped

After the latest Saints Row games underperformed, developer Volition announced that it will be shutting down the studio.

Saints Row was once seen as the primary competitor to the Grand Theft Auto series, but in recent years the rivalry hasn’t been much of a competition.

An attempted series reboot in 2022 titled Saints Row (which was the fifth official game in the main series) had a mixed reception but did not sell particularly well.

Recent news, though, has cast doubt on whether there will be another entry in this iconic game series.

Saints Row parent studio to close

In a post on LinkedIn, Volition, the development studio behind all the Saints Row games, announced that it would be closing.

“This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program…as part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.”

The decision has followed a rash of studio shutdowns by Embracer Group after it failed to secure funding following rapid expansion in the last year.

While fans of the iconic series expressed their disappointment at the news on social media, some pointed out the suspicious timing of the announcement.

“The company used the Starfield embargo to try and bury the news,” one Twitter user said, noting that the announcement came out just before the embargo on Starfield’s early access lifted.

It’s also notable that this announcement came just one day after the Saints Row reboot was included as one of the free PlayStation Plus games in September.

So at least PS players will get a chance to say goodbye to this beloved franchise, even if they didn’t buy the game.