This is a really hard article for me to write. Why is that? Because I have to talk about the shutting down of the video game developer Volition. They’re the team that made the Saints Row franchise, the “GTA Clone” that eventually grew its own personality and took things to heights the Rockstar Games franchise never would. It was announced today on Twitter that the company is being shut down immediately as a move by its parent company, The Embracer Group, to “restructure” things. The company was around for 30 years and made several games during that time.
So why is this sad for me personally? I used to work for Volition. I was a QA Tester for the game Saints Row: The Third. You can see my name and my picture in the credits sequence. I was only there for a summer, but it was one of the best summers of my life. I had a blast playtesting that game, and even got a free copy of it (on Xbox) as a reward for my services. I even came home from college for a weekend so I could go to the launch party…it was great. While I only played the 3rd and 4th titles, they were fun, full of passion, and the kind of “stupid fun” that many of us want in our gaming titles. Yes, I know the recent reboot was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back, but I was hoping they’d pull out of this. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Thanks for everything, Volition, you will be missed.
Embracer is closing down Volition, the 30 year old studio behind classics like Red Faction and Saint's Row. pic.twitter.com/WwrBtFUOqj
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) August 31, 2023
