Developer Volition has addressed some of the concerns of Saints Row fans in a Twitter Q&A, going into detail about many of the biggest issues players had with the game's trailer. Following the reveal of Saints Row in August, Volition received a notable amount of backlash. Fans were unhappy with the tone of the new game, the new cast, and the overall idea of a Saints Row reboot. The CG trailer that debuted with the reveal of the game also left some fans with a bad taste in their mouths, as it seemed to be focusing too much on the wacky stuff from the last two games and less on criminal elements some players have been missing.
Volition already directly responded to the Saints Row backlash by shrugging it off, but that didn't make matters any better. Some gameplay and additional information have been released since the initial Saints Row reboot reveal, but now Volition is answering some frequently asked questions to attempt to mitigate player concerns.
In a Twitter thread, Volition answered a number of questions from fans regarding various elements of the Saints Row reboot. On top of reconfirming that Saints Row has cross-gen co-op, the developer also noted that the iconic fleur de lis and purple colors the Saints are known for will still be featured prominently in the game. Not much of this has been shown in the marketing, however, as it won't really be utilized much until the Saints are more established. The developer also talked more about why the old characters aren't in the Saints Row reboot, customization options, and much more.
The transparency that Volition is offering is going to be key in marketing Saints Row, especially since a lot of developers recede back into the shadows after a game reveal. It seems like this will be something players can continue to expect in the months leading up to launch, as there's still some unconvinced that Saints Row needed a reboot. It'll be interesting to watch if or how the perception of the game changes as more details trickle out and fans get better glimpses of gameplay.
It's not clear if this level of openness was planned from the get-go for Saints Row or if this was a direct response to all of the backlash, but it is refreshing. Many games get a few trailers and a drip-feed of info, but Volition has been constantly pushing new information on this game. As of right now, there hasn't been any confirmation of a raw gameplay reveal for Saints Row, but one has to imagine something like that will be coming soon.
Saints Row releases on February 25, 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Source: Saints Row/Twitter