Saints Row And Red Faction Will "Live On" Despite Studio Closure

01.09.2023 - 17:45 / thegamer.com / Red Faction / Will

Saints Row and Red Faction will "live on", despite developer Volition shutting down after 30 years in the business. This comes from Volition's publisher, Deep Silver, as it uses the studio's goodbye message to remind fans that more games are possible, despite the loss of the original developer.

This message has been met with pushback from fans, who feel that it's in poor taste to focus on Saints Row and Red Faction games while so many developers lose their jobs. Others blame Deep Silver for Volition's fate, as the studio's output since being acquired in 2013 was largely panned by fans and critics alike.

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Deep Silver's comments came after Volition made a full statement on its closure, looking back on its history.

"For 30 years now you have played our games - sometimes you've loved them, sometimes you've been disappointed with them, but you've always been there," reads the statement. "We can speak for everyone who has worked at Volition when we say all the hard work and sacrifices we've put into these games have been for you."

The statement continues: "We've loved your enthusiasm every step of the way, even those times when you wish we had (or hadn't!) gone a certain way with a Saints Row or Red Faction or Descent. You are why we kept making these games."

In response, Deep Silver shared its own message, while adding that the IPs won't die with Volition.

"We're incredibly grateful for [Volition's] unforgettable work on Saints Row and Red Faction, whose IPs will live on at Plaion," says Deep Silver. This hints that more games could be in the works, developed at other studios under the Deep Silver umbrella.

Deep Silver acquired Volition in 2013. This was after the studio's previous publisher, THQ, went bankrupt and started selling off its developers. The last game Volition released before this acquisition was Saints Row: The Third, although given the timeline, much of Saints Row 4's development would have taken place under THQ.

After this, we didn't get another Saints Row game until the poorly received reboot last year, as Volition instead pivoted to Agents of Mayhem, a spin-off that sold poorly. Given this track record, many were displeased with Volition's run under Deep Silver.

In 2018, Deep Silver's own parent company, Koch Media (now Plaion) was acquitted by Embracer Group. It was the latter's decision to shut Volition down as part of its "restructuring program." Embracer Group has come under heavy criticism for the move, especially as it also comes with layoffs at another of its studios, Gearbox Publishing.

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