The team that worked on one of the popular titles in the action-adventure genre delivered saddening and surprising news that rocked the gaming community. After 30 years of delivering entertainment through their games, Volition, the studio behind popular titles like Saints Row and Red Faction, shuts down. Naturally, this garnered mixed reactions from fans, with most of them feeling sad. However, some fans took to Twitter and shared their thoughts about how the Saints Row reboot caused Volition to shut down.
Saints Row devs Volition shuts down after 30 years of bringing entertainment to consoles
On their LinkedIn page, Volition has shared the sad news that they are shutting down after over thirty years of delivering iconic titles. For those unfamiliar with Volition, they were founded back in 1993, and just last June, they celebrated their 30th anniversary.
The news of their closure definitely brought sadness to the gaming community. In their statement, the studio was transparent on what led Embracer Group to this decision. Volition was part of Deep Silver, which was acquired by Embracer in 2018.
In June this year, Embracer announced that their company would undergo a restructuring program. They aim to conserve their position as a leader in the video game industry. To achieve their goals, they had to come up with various strategies. One of their strategies was to shut down studios that were unfeasible. Unfortunately for Volition, possibly because of the Saints Row Reboot, they were affected by the restructuring.
Various gaming outlets have also reported that Embracer initiated this program after a major deal fell through. The deal was reportedly worth $2 billion USD, so for it to fall through massively affected Embracer and their finances.
Did the Saints Row Reboot cause Volition to shut down?
Volition’s latest release was the Saints Row Reboot. Through this reboot, they wanted to introduce their fresh take on the classic, introducing it to new players and taking old ones on a trip down memory lane. However, despite the studio’s high hopes for good reception, the Saints Row Reboot was met with disappointment.
- Back in 2022, we were in for a treat as the Saints Row Reboot launched. Since then, it’s gotten mixed reviews from critics and gamers.
- According to the reviews, the Saints Row Reboot had lots of issues in terms of gameplay, amongst other things.
- They also pointed out that the reboot could not meet many gamers’ expectations. Aside from gamers’ expectations, they also failed to meet Embracer’s expectations for the reboot to perform well commercially.
- In its 2023 financial report, Embracer stated that the reboot failed to deliver ROI. Because of this, Embracer has also stated that future projects need to “earn its right to exist.”
How did fans react?
Gamers took to Twitter to share their thoughts on this big decision from Embracer Group. It’s not every day that a studio that has delivered a classic franchise like Saints Row shuts down. Here are some of the reactions from fans on Twitter:
One fan hoped that Volition would be given one more chance at delivering a better reboot.
https://twitter.com/bundy_chu/status/1697299650112262182?s=20
On the other hand, another fan outright declared that the Saints Row Reboot caused Volition to shut down.
And there were those who shared their concerns for the employees who won’t be absorbed by Embracer Group. Hopefully, they will be able to bounce back and find other opportunities for them to share their talent in the video gaming industry.
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