We have seen many promising studios fall due to such unfortunate scenarios, and the recent closure of developer Volition is the latest in the line of many such cases. The studio has left a long legacy of great hits and went through some troubled times during its long lifespan, so let’s take a look at how the studio rose to greatness and eventually shut its door.

Given the popularity of open world games where players can do whatever they want and create mayhem, Volition would go on to create a new IP in the form of Red Faction, and this mayhem-focused action-adventure game released in 2001 proved to a turning point for Volition. But that success was mostly short-lived as its sequel, Red Faction 2 didn’t achieve expected sales – which led to both the IPs being put on hold.

Volition would go on to work on a franchise that would go on to define the developer for the foreseeable future. The team planned to create a game that would have elements of a first-person shooter along with the ability to build gangs, and that idea would soon morph into something bigger – an open-world game that would expand on the concepts of contemporaries like Grand Theft Auto while infusing its own ideas into the mix.

Volition expanded the team by dozens during this game’s production, and Saints Row was finally released for Xbox 360 in 2006. The game was an instant hit and in addition to being critically well-received – the game also made impressive sales for a new IP with over 2 million copies sold in its lifetime. Now that Saints Row turned out to be a successful venture, the developer started work on sequels in an effort to turn the IP into a household name.

Saints Row 2 was released in 2008, and it took the franchise to new heights. The sequel featured a better open world with hilarious writing, and fans absolutely loved it. With two successes under its belt, Volition circled back to Red Faction with Red Faction: Guerrilla which was loved by fans and critics alike. Volition would also produce Red Faction: Armageddon which was a decent game but ended up lacking in sales which led to the franchise being put on hold for the foreseeable future.

Saints Row would return with a third entry in 2011, which took what worked in Saints Row 2 and expanded on those ideas which resulted in yet another successful sequel. However, the studio was sailing through troubled waters once again in 2012 – which led the developer and its IPs (which includes Saints Row) to be sold off to Koch Media and would become a part of Deep Silver.

Volition then came back with Saints Row 4 which was released in 2013, and the new game went even crazier with protagonists having superpowers and aliens being involved alongside a whole host of wacky weapons. It seemed that Volition was back in the game, but this game would mark the last of the developer’s successes.

After Saints Row 4, the developer released Agents of Mayhem in 2017 which was a spin-off to the mainline Saints Row series. It had some good things going for it, but the final product was nothing special and it ended up being received poorly with disappointing sales and mixed reviews. As a result, the studio was downsized with multiple layoffs – and would eventually start work on the next entry in this long-running franchise.

The Saints Row reboot released in 2022, tried to bring the series back to its old roots as it tried to craft a balance between realism and over-the-top action, but those efforts bore little fruit as the game flopped hard. According to some critics, the game felt dated in comparison to other contemporaries and the franchise’s signature humor lacked any kind of personality in this reboot, which ultimately led to disappointing sales figures. While there were some who appreciated what the game did, majority of the players were not happy with the experience. Volition would go on to support the game for a year with downloadable expansion packs and patches that promised to fix the game. Whether the game is an enjoyable experience in 2023 is something that is up for debate but it was soon becoming a case of “too little, too late.”

With two subsequent flops in Agents of Mayhem and Saints Row, Deep Silver’s parent company converted the studio into a subsidiary of Gearbox Software in an effort to reallocate its resources across its sub-organizations. The parent company had signed a deal worth $2 billion with a Public Investment Firm, and the company was set to use that money for further expansion to its games business. However, the deal never came through and the parent company had to cut out costs as a result. Many projects were canceled, and because Volition failed to deliver with its last two projects – its doors were closed with immediate effect, putting an end to the story of this studio.

It’s definitely a sad state of affairs, but it’s also the nature of the beast that is game development. To circle back, producing a game takes a ton of time and money, and if that investment doesn’t bear any tangible results – there will always be repercussions for it which can be as severe as shutting down the studio itself. While Volition’s output wasn’t the most consistent through the years, it was still a competent developer that could have turned its progress around had it been given another chance. After all, it did manage to survive hard times – so there was a decent chance that it could just deliver a game-changing hit in the near future.

As it stands, Red Faction and Saints Row have been transferred over to Plaion which includes subsidiaries like Deep Silver and Flying Wild Hog. Many of the studios that happen to fall under Plaion could do some great work with these IPs – so there’s hope that we might see Saints Row and Red Faction continue without the involvement of Volition. But will those IPs lose their soul? Well, we have to wait and see.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

That’s because Volition’s series did something that so many other similar games simply couldn’t- it carved out its own niche, its own identity. Of course, the series borrows heavily from the Grand Theft Auto playbook, from its city-based open world settings and its focus on driving and shooting to the satirical nature of its storytelling and more, but as time has gone on, Saints Row has veered off in its own directions and established a very unique way of doing certain things as well, ways that set it apart from the series that inspired it, and others that followed a similar path. The zany humour and over-the-top nature of Saints Row has become a crucial element of the series’ identity- and it’s fair to say that that all started with Saints Row 2.

Of course, it goes without saying that Saints Row: The Third is when things really went off-rails (in the best possible way) and escalated to a ridiculous level that turned the series into something very, very different from a regular open world crime game. But it was with Saints Row 2 that the series started down that path. Humour had, of course, been an important part of the original Saints Row as well, but the game often played things straight, and in more ways than one, it really did just feel like a straightforward (albeit really well made) Grand Theft Auto clone.

With Saints Row 2, developer Volition very specifically set out to move away from that descriptor. Putting a greater emphasis on over-the-top chaos and irreverence not just in story and tone but also in gameplay, Saints Row 2 attempted to deliver an experience that would still satisfy that urban open world itch, but would do it in a manner that wouldn’t constantly be in the shadow of Rockstar’s behemoth. And it’s fair to say that it succeeded. For many, Saints Row 2 remains the best game in the series (though some will argue that it plays second fiddle to Saints Row: The Third), and it’s easy to see why.

Not only is the game’s important to the series as a whole as it exists today unimpeachable, the balance that it struck between goofiness and (relative) groundedness was among its biggest strengths. The chaotic action in the open world sandbox, the strong sense of personality lent to the game, the over-the-top escalation in the story- all of these were just a few ways the game benefited from toeing that line almost perfectly. Of course, it goes without saying that humour is a very subjective thing, and doesn’t land the same way (or at all) for everyone, while certain parts of Saints Row 2’s humour and sensibilities – as a game that came out in 2008 – haven’t stood the test of time and can be considered dated. For what it was though, and for its time, it clearly worked, and provided a solid foundation for the series to stand on.

It helped that Saints Row 2’s newfound goofiness as compared to its much more straight-shooting predecessor wasn’t its only claim to fame. It was just a flat-out genuinely well-made and enjoyable game as well. Open world saturation wasn’t at the point back then where it is now, and in general, standards were generally lower for games in the genre when Saints Row 2 came out in 2008, so it was obviously very much a product of its time. But man was it an absolute blast. Unsurprisingly, one of its biggest strengths was its open world city setting.

The city of Stilwater has a special place in the hearts of Saints Row fans, and there’s good reason for it- most of which Saints Row 2 is responsible for. Large, densely packed full of fun activities and side missions, varied in its environments, and brought to life by solid visuals (for its time, at least), Saints Row 2’s Stilwater was an amazing playground to set an open world game in. Exploring its nook and crannies never got boring, whether you were taking on the game’s many enjoyable optional activities or just goofing about in the sandbox with your weapons or vehicles or cheat codes or what have you. It was a riotously fun game, simply put.

A huge part of that was the fact that Saints Row 2’s world felt significantly more alive and reactive than its predecessor’s. That, of course, was something that developer Volition focused on in particular during the game’s development, with special emphasis being placed on improving the game’s artificial intelligence. NPCs became much more reactive and dynamic, and would interact with everything around them on a much deeper level, from interacting with other NPCs to engaging in activities together, from reacting to weather differently to so much more. It felt like the city of Stilwater existed independently of the player, and simply walking about in the living and breathing city became a significantly more immersive experience. At the time, in 2008, Saints Row 2’s open world was on the cutting edge of things, and it was doing things with its dynamic, reactive nature that not a lot of other games were doing.

No, Saints Row 2 wasn’t perfect. Parts of the game felt a little rough around the edges and lacking in polish when it first launched, and that feels even truer now for obvious reasons. As mentioned earlier, in terms of writing and humour, some aspects of the experience have aged poorly. Meanwhile, the game’s PC version was an absolute mess, so if you played it on that platform, you probably didn’t have a very good experience. But issues and all, Saints Row 2 was a defining game for the series. It set the tone and lay down the foundations. Sure, the original Saints Row was the one that started it all, but it’s fair to say that the series is what it is today because of things that were set in motion with Saints Row 2.

The upcoming reboot has divided opinion for obvious reasons, with many being thrilled about its much more grounded and back-to-the-basics approach, and others mourning the perceived loss of the series’ heart and soul and its over-the-top personality. For fans of Saints Row 2 though (of which there are more than a few) the reboot’s approach may very well be an exciting one. It looks like Volition is once again looking to strike a balance between goofiness and groundedness with the upcoming Saints Row reboot, just as they did with Saints Row 2. If the game does it nearly as well as the 2008 title did, boy are we in for a treat. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that it’ll be up to the task.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

de Blob Remastered, the enhanced re-release of THQ’s well received Wii game, will be hitting the Nintendo Switch later this year, THQ Nordic has announced. The game, which launched on the Wii almost ten years ago, released first on PC, and then on Xbox One and PS4 last year, but oddly skipped Nintendo’s hybrid. That oversight will be rectified later this year.

It sounds like the Switch version will just be the remaster as is, and that players shouldn’t expect many Switch specific features; that said, the core design of de Blob is so enduring that I don’t think it needs much added garnish or enhancements. Just the ability to play the game again, this time on the go, may be enough for many.

As of right now, there is no word on how much the game will cost (traditionally, THQ Nordic games cost more on Switch than they do on other systems, owing to higher cartridge costs), but if and when we find out, we will be sure to let you know.

Darksiders owner Nordic Games has announced its rebranding as THQ Nordic. THQ declared bankruptcy in 2012 and auctioned off its various properties including Darksiders, Homeworld, Red Faction and so on to various companies. In 2014, Nordic acquired the THQ name itself and now has come the time to finally use it.

Lars Wingefors, chief executive of THQ Nordic, said that “One could say the most defining moment for our company happened in 2013, grabbing headlines like; ‘Who the f*** is Nordic Games?,’ ‘Darksiders Gets Bought By…Nordic Games?,’ and ‘Nordic Games explains who the f they are, plans for THQ assets’.

“While we take great pride in our Swedish roots and accomplished a great deal under the Nordic Games masthead, we decided it was time to incorporate the THQ name. Those key brands will continue to shape our business in a meaningful way going forward, and THQ Nordic represents a core approach of doing much more than owning a highly competitive portfolio of IP. We cherish them, and align them with the very best development resources to expand upon them with the level of experience that communities and established fan bases expect and deserve.”

With 23 games in development, Wingesfrost noted that 13 of these were unannounced at this time. “With this rebrand we are entering the next phase in our company’s evolution. As of now we have 23 game projects in development, 13 thereof have not yet been publicly announced but are sure to be in the next months. Needless to say, the majority of these projects are based on former THQ owned IPs and franchises.”

What are your thoughts on THQ making its return? Let us know in the comments.

The mysterious 1666 Amsterdam, the new IP by Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets, who started it with THQ, lost it to Ubisoft in a dramatic and ironic twist, before finally regaining rights to the IP, has long been an enigma- but just recently, gameplay footage from the game released, that indicates that it definitely was in active development at one time, and more than just a name or title.

Désilets also confirmed on Twitter that he does plan on returning to the game and developing it at some point in the future (which makes sense, or else why would he have fought so vociferously for rights to it?). Which is good news, because the unreleased footage we have is definitely intriguing.

You can check out this footage for yourself below. For now, Désilets is working on Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey, his next game with Panache Digital Games- so even if 1666 does happen, you shouldn’t expect to see it any time soon.

@DracoADG pas vrai ça on le fera en temps et lieu…:)

— Patrice Desilets (@PatriceDez) April 26, 2016

In 2007, Patrice Désilets released Assassin’s Creed, a brand new IP that would go on to become Ubisoft’s flagship franchise in just a few short years. Désilets would go on to leave Ubisoft eventually, and would join up with American publisher THQ, with whom he would work on a new IP- 1666: Amsterdam.

However, fate has a sense of irony, and THQ would go bankrupt, leaving its properties to be hawked to any takers. As luck would have it, 1666 would be picked up by Ubisoft, bringing Patrice Désilets right back into the fold. Désilets would later be fired shortly afterwards, but Ubisoft would retain the 1666 IP- an IP that would then go silent.

That silence has been broken now, however- a new trademark filing (dug up by DualShockers), filed at the US Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) on April 13 by Ubisoft seems to be specifically for 1666 (it appears as though ‘Amsterdam’ has been dropped from the title). It seems as though Ubisoft has not yet forgotten about this IP- could this be their new IP debut at E3 this year, where they have traditionally been known to end their shows by taking the wraps off of a new game?

If it is, we’ll find out soon, because E3 is not just under two months away.

While the chips are down and the hand shown as far as Valhalla’s Devil’s Third is concerned, there are actually those who, in spite of the negative impressions and the very readily visible jank in all the media we have received for the game so far, are still excited for the title. Those people will be very happy with this new trailer for the game, which shows off… well, it shows off more Devil’s Third, basically.

Devil’s Third is director Itagaki’s first new game project since 2008. Previously, he was known for the excellent Ninja Gaiden revival, as well as the Dead or Alive series of fighting games, both made under Tecmo Koei. The game has been in development for a long time, but finally will be launching later this year, on Wii U exclusively; the game’s multiplayer will also launch on PC shortly afterwards.

Devil’s Third may be getting panned in the pre-release previews that have been coming out for it, but director Tomonobu Itagaki from Valhalla Games, it seems, is fully committed to standing by his product. Discussing the game, he pointed out that it will run in 30 FPS, a stark contrast from almost every other major Wii U title; nonetheless, he assured fans that the game will be perfectly enjoyable in 30 FPS.

Itagaki also confirmed that the game would not have any split screen multiplayer, stating that the extra resources they got this way had gone towards making the campaign be the best it could possibly be. Similarly, the game does not have voice chat- the extra bandwidth enables smooth 16 player gameplay.

Itagaki also shared his favorite way to play the game, saying that a USB keyboard, the Wii U Pro controller, and wired internet was the best way to do it. The Wii U Gamepad, he said, had the analog sticks too far apart, and buttons on the touschscreen too cramped, which could lead to a less than optimal experience. He also shared his hope that the multiplayer mode would have a population of tens of thousands of people.

Given the existing mismatch between the game’s target demographic, and that of the console that it is on, I am not necessarily sure how that will work out; given that the game is actually supposed to be pretty rubbish, I think these may just turn out to be empty boasts in the end.

We’ll find out soon. Devil’s Third launches exclusively on the Wii U.

Wii U exclusive Devil’s Third, being headed by Tomonobu Itagaki, of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fame, has not had the smoothest development cycle- it was announced half a decade ago for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in conjunction with THQ, the publisher that went bankrupt shortly afterwards. It has since lurched through development hell, gone through multiple engines, and even had questions raised as to its final release by Nintendo, the publisher that ultimately saved it.

And as you can see in these gameplay videos, all of that strain shows. It very definitely shows. Devil’s Third looks exceptionally rough in these clips, to the point that one has to wonder just how or why Nintendo is willing to put the game out in this state- what happened to their famed insistence on polish?

I guess I can still see some sparks of good ideas in there, though. Pity what happened to this game- with a smoother development cycle, I am sure this might have been something special.

Oh well. Devil’s Third launches exclusively on Wii U.

Ever since it was announced at last E3 that Nintendo had rescued Devil’s Third, much like they had Bayonetta 2, and that the game would be coming exclusively to Wii U, there has been a lot of skepticism about the title. The re-reveal trailer looked absolutely janky, with none of the finesse or style that director Itagaki has come to be known for with his Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden games; it was going to be a multiplayer shooter on a system with a minuscule install base, and it just seemed wildly scattershot and schizophrenic.

Well, it seems like Nintendo of America, at least, agrees with all the criticism the game has been getting, because apparently, they will be foregoing the release of the game over in North America altogether. Unseen64 reports that Nintendo of America has decided to not release the troubled game in the region- this explains the game’s mysterious absence during E3, as well as from Nintendo’s website.

Early reports from those with access to press copies in Europe and Japan indicate the game isn’t fun and has frame rate issues, so it doesn’t sound like we are missing out on much, but I guess if this was something you were looking forward to, it’s going to be a bummer for you.