Developer Volition Shuts Down Following Poorly Received Games

Developer Volition, known for its popular Saints Row franchise, has announced its immediate closure. The decision comes after a string of underwhelming game releases.

Volition’s shutdown comes after multiple tepidly received games

The closure was officially announced on Volition’s LinkedIn page following online posts from employees. The studio acknowledged its 30-year history and gratitude towards its community but attributed the closure to a restructuring program initiated by Embracer Group in June. Volition expressed its commitment to providing job assistance to its employees during the transition.

This shutdown follows the disappointing performance of Volition’s previous two games. Agents of Mayhem in 2017 faced criticism for its mission design and received an average score of 67. Similarly, the 2022 reboot of Saints Row was negatively received due to its outdated open-world mechanics and numerous bugs, resulting in an average score of 63.

Prior to the closure, Volition dedicated its efforts to improve the Saints Row reboot through various updates, bug fixes, and additional features. The studio recently concluded its support for the game with the release of the third premium expansion, “A Song of Ice and Dust.” Saints Row also launched on Steam and will soon be available on PlayStation Plus Essential.

Volition, originally founded as Parallax Software Corporation in 1993, later adopted the Volition name in 1996. In addition to the Saints Row series, the studio developed the Red Faction games, Summoner RPG franchise, and FreeSpace space combat simulator series.