In the release of their investor report, THQ Nordic announced a new entry in the hit franchise Saints Row is currently in development at Volition Studios.
Not much is known about the game, including what platforms the game will launch on or if the series will be rebooted. The report does note the game is “deep in development.”
Saints Row first released back in 2006 as a Grand Theft Auto clone. The open-world game focuses on a street gang called The Third Street Saints. Saints Row 2 released in 2008 and upped the zaniness of the franchise. Many fans believe the franchise hit its peak with Saints Row: The Third in 2011. The series is known for its over-the-top gameplay, crude humor, and variety of celebrity voices and cameos. Actors Keith David, Daniel Dae Kim, and Sasha Grey have lent their voices to the series, with Burt Reynolds playing an unforgettable version of himself in the third installment. The most recent release was the standalone Gat Out of Hell in 2015.
Volition Studios, based in Champaign, Illinois, was founded in 1993. The company is most known for the Saints Row and Red Faction franchises. The company was owned by THQ before being sold off to Deep Silver during the publisher’s bankruptcy sale. THQ Nordic then purchased Deep Silver’s parent company Koch Media, bringing Volition full circle.
In other news, THQ Nordic gave an update on the long in development Dead Island 2. The game will now be lead by Dambuster Studios. Dambuster Studios most recently worked on Homefront: The Revolution after Crytek closed down. Dead Island 2 was announced back in 2014 and was originally being developed by Yager Development before moving to Sumo Digital. Not much is known about the game, but this is the latest confirmation of the game’s rocky development.
THQ Nordic also announced that one of the creators of the TimeSplitters franchise, Steve Ellis, has joined the company to help “pave the way for the brand.” Does this mean we’ll see a new installment soon? The publisher also announced that Fishlabs is working on an unannounced IP.
This news comes off the heel of THQ Nordic’s announcement of purchasing Gunfire Games, the developers of Darksiders III. What do you think of getting a new Saints Row game? Where do you think the franchise will go next? Let us know in the comments below.