Poll of the Day > Speak of the devil... RIP Volition Games (Saint's Row, Summoner 1 and 2)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Was just talking to someone about that amazing Saints Row reboot from last year, only to learn that Volition was shuttered today :(((

Quote from the Embracer Group (owner of Volition) CEO:

"There's simply no fucking way anyone can top that absolute zenith monument to video games that is Saint's Row (2022), so we thought 'Fuck it. Why even try?'" - he then put on some sunglasses, sparked a fat blunt, and pulled a fingerboard from his pocket to rip some sick kickflips before stepping away from the podium chucking a deuce over his shoulder.

https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/08/31/saints-row-developer-volition-games-has-been-shut-down

I miss the Summoner games.

Mimimi is also shutting down

BlackScythe0 posted...

I miss the Summoner games.

Me too! Always hoped for a follow-up

Lokarin posted...

Mimimi is also shutting down

I saw :( Shadow Tactics is rad and their new game looked like a pirate themed version of that so it is prob fun. Must not have sold well

deserved, even though it hurts to say it.

wish other big developers would do the same.

Nade_Duck posted...

deserved, even though it hurts to say it.

wish other big developers would do the same.

It's sad when you think about all the big developers you used to love, and realize every single one of them is basically a walking corpse. Or a flesh-eating alien wearing the severed face of your former loved ones.

BioWare, Obsidian, Bungie - none of them are even remotely the same companies they used to be, either in terms of people, culture, or output. Go back farther and I can throw Square into the mix. Or the other devs that were devoured by EA like Origin and Westwood. Even companies like Bethesda, Blizzard, and Gearbox are pretty clearly shadows of what they once were. And the list goes on...

Volition's been dead for years, this was just a mercy killing.

At least Rare are still at the top of their game

Strange, from what I've heard they (Embracer) had a Billion Dollar Deal on the table, but some execs screwed that up. How can you **** up a Billion Bucks?

Anyhoo, it would be funny if R* came in and Brought all the IPs...

GTA X Saint's Row incoming?

MeatiestMeatus posted...

Me too! Always hoped for a follow-up

Same. A couple characters appear in both games, and it would have been nice to expand the lore a bit, and complete all their stories.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's sad when you think about all the big developers you used to love, and realize every single one of them is basically a walking corpse. Or a flesh-eating alien wearing the severed face of your former loved ones.

BioWare, Obsidian, Bungie - none of them are even remotely the same companies they used to be, either in terms of people, culture, or output. Go back farther and I can throw Square into the mix. Or the other devs that were devoured by EA like Origin and Westwood. Even companies like Bethesda, Blizzard, and Gearbox are pretty clearly shadows of what they once were. And the list goes on...

Volition's been dead for years, this was just a mercy killing.

Simpson's Grandpa "IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOOOOUUU!!!" but it's Bioware pointing at Larian and From Software

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/6/1/AAfglSAAEzXR.jpg

No one ever remembers Red Faction...

Solid_Sonic posted...

No one ever remembers Red Faction...

All I remember is Saints Row 3 parodying it in the good ending.

I actually have Red Faction: Guerrilla saved on my 360 from when I downloaded it via Games for Gold. I should play it some day.

I know Red Faction well and enjoy some of those games but there's only so much space in the topic title and the Summoner games are better

ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's sad when you think about all the big developers you used to love, and realize every single one of them is basically a walking corpse. Or a flesh-eating alien wearing the severed face of your former loved ones.

This is generally why I just try and enjoy the stuff from the new dev teams now, whilst their star is rising. Nearly every developer turns to shit it seems.

Currently on my rising star list is Owlcat. I like their CRPG's, I think they're probably some of the best out there atm, although they have their flaws. Depending on how successful their Warhammer 40k crpg goes though, I'd expect them to start screwing about at some point.

RVallant posted...

This is generally why I just try and enjoy the stuff from the new dev teams now, whilst their star is rising. Nearly every developer turns to shit it seems.

I'd agree, but the problem there is that new devs may not be giving the experience you want. Whether that be because they're not as skilled, or because they want to provide their own take and it isn't something you want.

The reason old devs become beloved in the first place is because they keep putting out experiences that you loved, to the point where you started to rely on "new game from [insert dev]" was a guarantee that you'd enjoy it. But now someone who loved BioWare-style RPGs may find they can't find any games that really scratch the same itch. Stuff from Larian or Spiders/Focus Home, or even From Software may be too bleak. Stuff like Cyberpunk releases so broken you don't want to take the chance. Stuff like Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 dies in development hell. And so on.

So mourning the slow lingering death of companies like BioWare and Obsidian isn't just nostalgia for the past, it's because nothing in the present/future is really replacing it.

it's like when the horror genre just straight up went extinct for like a decade unless you really liked slender or five nights at freddy's and probably have had a lot of long intellectual conversations with the peanut you dropped under your couch 6 years ago.

thankfully it doesn't necessarily last forever, even if it does suck a lot for a long time.