Embracer Group has made layoffs at Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and Mythforce developer Beamdog less than two years after acquiring the studio.
31.08.2023 - 19:19 / gameinformer.com / Lars Wingefors / Red Faction
Volition Games, the studio behind franchises such as Saints Row and Red Faction, has been shut down effectively immediately.
The news first broke on X.com, with several employees posting that they had been let go and that the studio was no more. In an official statement on the studio’s website, Volition states that Swedish holdings company Embracer Group, which acquired the studio in 2018, has forced it to cease operations as part of Embracer's company-wide restructuring. Volition’s full farewell post reads as follows:
Embracer’s restructuring is the result of the disastrous collapse of a proposed $2 billion partnership with Savvy Games Group, a Saudi Arabian-funded organization, who backed out of the deal in May. This caused Embracer’s share value to plummet, forcing the mega-corporation into cost-cutting mode after it spent years acquiring a multitude of game studios and entertainment IPs, such as The Lord of the Rings.
Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors announced in an open letter plans to make the company a “leaner, stronger and a more focused, self-sufficient company,” which included plans to close or sell off some of its game studios, along with halting projects in development and other cost-saving measures. Unfortunately, Volition has become one of the first casualties of this restructuring.
Volition's demise comes after the company celebrated its 30th anniversary as a studio in June. Beginning with the Descent series (released under Voliton's original name, Parallax Software) and releasing cult favorites such as Summoner, it found major success with the Red Faction franchise during the 2000s, peaking with the well-received Red Faction: Guerilla in 2009. Volition would kick off the Xbox 360 generation with the release of Saints Row, a GTA-inspired series that would steadily gain popularity and a unique identity before reaching its zenith with the critically acclaimed Saints Row: The Third in 2011.
However, following the release of Saints Row IV in 2013, the studio entered a rough patch. It took a swing with a new IP in the tepidly received Agents of Mayhem in 2017, which garnered disappointing sales. Its final game, 2022’s Saints Row reboot , also received a mixed reaction from fans and underperformed in sales to the point that Embracer transferred the studio to Gearbox . With the studio’s closure, it’s unclear what will become of Saints Row, Red Faction, and the other franchises under its umbrella.
While the last few years weren’t kind of Volition, there’s no denying the positive impact its games and series had on the industry. What’s your favorite Volition game? Share your memories in the comments below.
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Embracer Group has shut down Volition, and as a studio that has been around for three decades, it’s obviously got some notable releases under its belt. But with the studio now shuttered, what will become of its properties?
Saints Row developer Volition has been shut down with immediate effect, shortly after celebrating its 30th year anniversary in June.
Volition, the studio behind the Saints Row series, has closed with immediate effect. The developer said in a statement that the shutdown was a result of restructuring at parent company Embracer Group.
Volition Games has shut down as part of Embracer Group’s ongoing restructuring. The studio, which has roots going back to 1993, is behind the Saint’s Row series, Red Faction, and Summoner.
After 30 years, Volition is closing its doors.
Volition Games, the studio behind Saints Row and Red Faction, has been permanently shut down due to the "restructuring" policy adopted by parent company Embracer Group.
A year after the underwhelming release of the Saints Row reboot, and just two months after celebrating 30 years of operation, Volition has been closed.
Saints Row developer Volition has been shut down “effective immediately”.
Volition Games, the studio best known for its work on the Saints Row series, has been closed down «effective immediately» as part of parent company Embracer Group's previously announced «restructuring» programme.