Saints Row is back, but it's not a continuation of the series that has largely remained dormant since 2013. Instead, Saints Row is being rebooted and will lose the super powers, aliens, and other rather absurd elements that were introduced in the last game. For many this will probably be great to hear, as some missed being street-level gangsters, but there's also some that did appreciate how Volition just committed to the most out-there ideas in Saints Row 4.
Saints Row is not just going back to basics with the original crew - this is a completely new cast in a new setting. It seems like the tone of the Saints Row reboot will still reflect that of the original series, so it's still very much in line with the standards that Volition have set. That said, many may be wondering why the studio chose to start from scratch. Saints Row 4 sold over a million copies in its first week and the PC version holds an 81 on Metacritic, which is no small feat. It's a bit surprising it's taken so long to get a new entry after the success of the last game and now that Volition has revealed the next Saints Row entry, it's even more surprising it's not a direct follow-up.
This wasn't an uncalculated move from the team, though. During a press event for Saints Row, Volition noted it felt it had literally nowhere else to go after the events of the last game. As such, it was decided the team would reboot Saints Row. Given Saints Row 4 gave players superpowers, put the Saints in the White House, introduced aliens, and even literally took players to Hell in an expansion, there wasn't anywhere else the series could go from there. So, Volition decided to go back to the franchise's roots and create a contemporary crime game centered around the origins of the Saints.
Why Saints Row 5 Didn't Happen
Speaking to press, Volition CCO Jim Boone noted the importance of the more grounded return to the series' beginnings in order to create a more relatable story that reflects the struggles of an American citizen. "It was a great opportunity for us to tell the story we wanted to tell and most importantly tell a story that is contemporary that we think the people will relate to. What that means is, that could be everything from imagining the kind of debt that people deal with these days, student loans, the kinds of things you want to be able to do for the American Dream; imagine if you were in that world and you could form your own criminal empire."
Given fans have been stuck with Saints Row remasters this generation, people may be more receptive to the idea of returning to a less fantastical entry in the series. That said, fans can still expect plenty of irreverent humor, freedom for more whimsical activities, and more. Even though Volition is tackling a more realistic subject matter via a criminal empire, it's still Saints Row, and the team knows what that means to people.
Saints Row releases on February 25, 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.