Developer Deep Silver has announced that its reboot of Saints Row is being delayed roughly six months to allow additional time for polish and fine-tuning. Deep Silver was incredibly specific with its wording in a message regarding the delay, noting that the content of Saints Row will not change. There's been a vocal backlash to the aesthetic of the reboot, so it seems like Deep Silver will be sticking to its guns.
Shortly after its reveal, Deep Silver responded to the Saints Row backlash by simply saying "Haters gonna hate." The main criticism has stemmed from the game having a more cartoony art style, despite the series never having leaned into more realistic graphics like Grand Theft Auto. Some fans were also disappointed that characters like Johnny Gat are also notably absent from the game and there's some fear that Deep Silver has lost its edge. Nonetheless, it looks like the developer will maintain its vision despite the delay.
The official Saints Row Twitter account released a statement from Volition's Chief Creative Officer, Josh Boone, to explain why the game was delayed to August 23, 2022. Boone noted the delay would allow the team "more time to do [their] vision justice" and "there won't be much change in the game outside of overall quality and polish". Over the last few weeks, Deep Silver has released a bunch of Saints Row gameplay and offered up plenty of deep dives on the title.
The marketing was seemingly in full swing for its original February release, but the team decided a delay was needed. It's entirely possible that Deep Silver saw how crowded February is for game releases and decided it would be best to avoid competition while also giving Saints Row some extra time in the oven. A delay may not be enough to sway any naysayers, but it will hopefully give the game a strong foundation to succeed.
In a post-GTA 5 world, it'll be interesting to see if Saints Row can stack up. As of right now, the map for Saints Row looks vibrant and ripe with open-world shenanigans, but if it's not up to snuff with the competition, it may fall short of being a success. Deep Silver seems confident in what it's making, but the open-world genre has evolved at a rapid pace since Saints Row 4 launched in 2013. Nonetheless, at least Deep Silver is taking its time with the game and ensuring it meets the standards of modern gamers - especially after a lot of botched releases in 2020 and 2021.
Saints Row releases on August 23, 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.