Volition: Saints Row 4 Unaffected by THQ Troubles, Sticking with Successful Tone

There was concern from fans all across the spectrum when THQ went bankrupt earlier this year, as strong properties like Metro and Darsiders were ostensibly in peril. None seemed more passionate than the followers of the Saints Row franchise, but developer Volition wants all those honorary residents of Steelport to rest easy – the sale of THQ had little impact on development.

OXM recently had the opportunity to talk to a member of the development team about Saint’s Row 4, the latest project from the Illinois-based studio. Volition senior producer Jim Boon had plenty to say about the 2013 open-world game, which he believes kept a steady pace while THQ was facing financial difficulties.

“During this period of uncertainty, we were still working full speed ahead on SR4. It's fair to say there was a lot of distraction waiting to learn the results of the auction that was ultimately conducted to deal with THQ's bankruptcy, but that was also fairly short lived,” Boon said. “Deep Silver had the winning bid for Volition and they worked quickly to bring us in the fold. I'm happy to say that Deep Silver gets our special brand of craziness with SR4, and they have not asked for a single change to the game. So, while this was a fairly crazy process to go through, in the end it really did not have a significant effect on SR4.”

Initially, an expansion titled, “Enter the Dominatrix” was in the works for the third game, but things changed when Jason Rubin took over as president of THQ. This additional content was blended into the planned Saints Row 4, creating one, massive game. It took a bit of convincing to make the move, but one aspect of this series that was a no-brainer to continue in this fourth title was the tone.

“Ultimately, I don't think that SR's tone gets in the way of bigger sales. If anything, I think our tone is an element of our success,” he said. “SR is quite unlike anything else out there, and I think gamers crave unique experiences – I know I do. We have a lot of passionate fans that love SR, so I think we are striking the right chord.”

It will be Deep Silver’s turn to promote one of the most bizarre games in the industry when Saints Row 4 hits the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC August 20.