With Saints Row finally coming back in a prominent way, many are likely hoping to see fan-favorite characters like Shaundi and Johnny Gat back in the saddle as well. Sadly, it seems that fans will probably have to adjust to some new faces as the Saints themselves are being rebooted, too. The series is known for its expansive cast of original characters alongside an equally impressive collection of celebrity cameos.
Given Saints Row is a reboot, fans will not be seeing their favorite characters in any prominent way. Developer Volition teased the fans will see some winks and nods to the history of the franchise, but it doesn't seem like anyone will actually be present in the core of the story. Instead, the new game will have four new leads, including the playable character. These new characters will create the Saints from scratch in what Volition is half-jokingly describing as a "start-up company."
Part of this change in the cast is to create a more relatable group of characters for players. Johnny Gat isn't as easy for players to latch on to as he's a hardened criminal, making him a poor fit for this kind of a story. In the Saints Row reboot teaser and footage seen so far, the core group of characters creates the Saints as a way to disrupt the American system. After becoming worn down by things like student loans and never-ending debt, the Saints resort to crime as a way to live big and free themselves of the shackles in a modern world. Of course, building a criminal empire isn't easy and comes with its own problems, such as rival gangs, but perhaps it's easier for the Saints to use violence to solve their issues.
Why There Aren't Any Returning Characters In Saints Row
Volition also explained its core reason for rebooting Saints Row, which was largely due to how it had painted itself into a corner with Saints Row 4. The game took players to space and Hell, leading the team to realize the series had nowhere else to go but backward. That said, it can't just use that current cast and make them go back to being street-level gangsters, so the series had to be rebooted. With that newfound creative freedom, a new cast was born.
Whether or not fans respond well to this cast when they see them in action remains to be seen. Although very little of the game has been shown to the public, there's already been some backlash to Saints Row. Perhaps the team will just need to show more of the game before people are sold on it, but as of right now, it seems like fans are hesitant to get too excited about this new version of Saints Row. It's possible this will tee up fan-favorites like Johnny Gat to show up via a post-credits scene at the end of the game as sequel bait, but Volition will likely keep that under wraps.