Developer Volition has offered a first glimpse at the canceled PSP project Saints Row Undercover. The game was scrapped back in 2009 (via GameSpot).
While the studio will offer a more detailed look at the game next week in a livestream, Volition provided some background and a few glimpses yesterday. The title initially started out as a port of Saints Row 2 for the PlayStation Portable, but soon became its own game when the developers realized a port wouldn’t be possible. As you can see in the video below, the title was intended to be an open-world action adventure, much like the other games in the series. The game’s original title was Saints Row: The Fall before changing to Undercover.
Community Manager Mike Watson said that the game was cancelled primarily due to being handled by an outside developer. Volition wasn’t particularly adept at handheld development, so hiring another studio seemed like the right direction, until both the studio and THQ, the game’s publisher, took a look at a build and determined “it wasn’t really living up to what a Saints Row game could and should be.”
Even after the demise of its publisher, THQ, the Saints Row franchise has remained strong. Its most recent release was the Gat Out of Hell expansion for Saints Row IV, which released last year.
