Following reports of the Saints Row reboot underperforming earlier this year, developer Volition Games has now announced it is shutting down, effective immediately.
It shared this update via a post on LinkedIn - mentioning how the closure was part of Embracer Group's "restructuring program". As also noted, the company is providing team members with assistance to "help smooth the transition". Here's the message in full:
"The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We've been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.
"This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.
"To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition of our Volition family members. We thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years. You will always be in our hearts." - Volition Games
During its 30-year run, Volition was responsible for games like Red Faction as well as the original Saints Row series which first started out in 2006 and took inspiration from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series. This shut down news follows an update for the Saints Row reboot in August, with Volition at the time delivering the game's "final expansion".
How do you feel about this studio closure? Comment below.
Comments 14
It is always not good when gaming industry staff lose their jobs. Too bad because I really like the Saints Row series.
That's *****. 30 years of making games, one failed and it's over.
"...to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry."
A position it rapidly purchased its way into over the last few years, no?
Sad to see this sort of thing happen. I hope the people at Volition can find work soon.
I'm sorry. But that's just harsh. Really harsh.
Team puts out series of classic games and hits. But has one less than stellar game. And you close them?!?
BUĹLCRAP is what I think of that
@NeoRatt Embracer said they're not done with Saints Row or Red Faction. So at least there's that. :/
So sorry to see the closure
I remember playing the first Red Faction on Ps2, and getting pimp slapped by friends on SR1 on 360. Fond memories! Sad to see the devs get closed because of a meh reboot.
If this is how Embracer Group is gonna operate when they loose their $2b deal, then they can go suck eggs.
Hope the staff at Volition expeditiously find jobs under happier umbrellas. Cheers guys, and thanks for the memories!
It always sucks when people lose their jobs but Volition has been struggling for over a decade. Their last slightly successful game came out on the 360 and Saints Row reboot lost any chance people would support them in the future. Hopefully those laid off can find work at more successful companies.
When they release a game like Saints Row it’s not surprising. Awful game.
@Kaloudz @ghostmutt14 It's not just ONE failed game though, it's two, perhaps three, failures in a row. Saints Row, Agents of Mayhem both failed and Gat out of Hell had a 65 Metacritic and reportedly much lower than expected sales. That means their last real success was Saint's Row IV a decade ago.
I am sorry to see Volition go and it's always sad to see people lose jobs, but the reality is this is a results led business and a decade of failure has dire consequences. I hope the staff find better work.
That sucks. I still need to get the new DLC. Well at least the series went out with a cool crew.
@themightyant
Well Said. Volition haven't had a solid game since Saints Row The Third which is 12 years ago at this point. Saints Row 4 was a glorified DLC.
The Reboot was the nail in the coffin and easily the worst game in the franchise.
A damned shame. I hope they find jobs again really quickly. Hopefully with a company that appreciates them.
That a developer can create a sucessful game series, and then get shut down, but not keep the rights to that series is something I hate about the games industry. It means publishers can scoop up valuable IPs but the people who make them are disposable.
My question is how many of the current staff are new hires vs ones that worked on the games people liked. Wouldn't be the first time most of the staff from the good entries either left or moved to a different team from the original studio and that's the reason the closure happened. It's why I'm worried about GTA 6 - basically all the original Rockstar devs & writers left, which is what I'd think happened with Volition Games.
$100,000,000 woke game for a demographic that must be like, 3% of the gaming audience.
Goodbye.
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