Saints Row (2022 video game)

Synopsis

Saints Row is set in Santo Ileso, a fictional city in the American southwest modeled after Las Vegas. At the start, the city is controlled by two warring gangs: Los Panteros, a vehicle and fitness-oriented gang, and the Idols, an anarcho-communist gang focused on nightlife. A third faction, Marshall Defense Industries, a private military corporation, seeks to eradicate gang presence. The player character, known as the Boss, is fired from Marshall and forms the Saints with friends and roommates: Eli, an investor; Kevin, an aspiring chef and former Idols DJ; and Neenah, an ex-Panteros mechanic.

On their first day at Marshall, the Boss apprehends a criminal called the Nahualli but is denied a bonus by superior Gwen Theriault. The Boss later helps Marshall recover a stolen Mayan artifact, the Hummingbird Codex, from a Panteros convoy. Company founder Atticus Marshall promotes the Boss to head of security for a gala unveiling the Codex, but the Idols and Panteros attack the gala; the Idols steal the artifact. Although the Boss saves board member Myra Starr, Atticus fires the Boss for failing to protect the Codex.

Development

THQ Nordic announced in August 2019 that Volition was developing a full Saints Row entry. Koch Media, owner of the intellectual property, gave the developer time and space to make the game they saw fit. The series had a rocky history after Saints Row IV (2013), followed by the expansion Gat out of Hell (2015) and the poorly selling spin-off Agents of Mayhem (2017), which led to layoffs at Volition. The reboot was officially announced at Gamescom in August 2021, drawing divided opinion on social media for not retaining the feel of prior entries.

The reboot aimed to pull away from the wacky tone of Saints Row IV and restore the balance of comedy and seriousness found in Saints Row 2. Volition's Jeremy Bernstein compared Saints Row IV to Moonraker, saying they needed to reel it back in. Studio development director Jim Boone noted that the current social climate had outgrown the tone of prior games. Some lewd elements, such as a giant purple dildo weapon, were cut.

The developers looked to action films like Baby Driver, John Wick, and Hobbs & Shaw for reference. Originally set for February 25, 2022, the game was delayed to August 23, 2022. The PC version was exclusive to the Epic Games Store until August 2023, when it was released on Steam. A post-release expansion pass was announced, with the first DLC, The Heist and The Hazardous, released on May 9, 2023, alongside a free update adding the Sunshine Springs region.

Reception

Saints Row received mixed or average reviews from critics, according to Metacritic. Reviews noted a large number of bugs at launch, with the Washington Post calling the game barely playable. Other concerns included the quality of the story and writing, and parts of the gameplay feeling dated. Gamespot wrote that the combat and story were adequate but the game struggled to live up to its legacy.

EGM praised the open-world city and gameplay fundamentals but was disappointed by the story and bugs. According to Embracer Group, pre-order sales exceeded expectations. Saints Row was the biggest-selling physical game in the UK in its debut week, selling more than five times the units of Agents of Mayhem. In week two, sales dropped 80%, falling from No. 1 to No. 6.

During August, it was the best-selling digital game and second best-selling physical game behind Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version was the ninth best-selling retail game, and the PlayStation 5 version was twelfth. Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors said he expected the game to be profitable but not have as great a return on investment as other games, expressing disappointment at its polarising reception. By October 2022, Saints Row had reached over 1 million players.

In November 2022, Embracer stated the game did not meet full expectations and left the fanbase partially polarized, but performed in line with management expectations financially. Embracer subsequently transferred Volition to Gearbox Entertainment, then closed the studio in August 2023.