Saints Row Developer Volition Games Has Been Shut Down

Volition Games has shut down the studio that created Saints Row, Red Faction and other franchises. 

The first to report the news was X.com where several employees posted that they were let go, and that there is no studio. In an official statement on the studio’s website, Volition states that Embracer Games, which acquired the studio in 2018, shut down the studio as part of its company-wide restructuring. Volition’s full farewell post reads as follows:

“The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We’ve been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.

Embracer Group, in June of this year, announced a restructuring plan to maintain Embracer’s position as the leader in video games. They evaluated their strategic and operating goals as part of this program and took the hard decision to shut down Volition. 

In order to help our family, Volition is providing assistance with job placement and easing the transition. Thank you to all our fans and customers around the globe for your love and support. You will always be in our hearts.” 

– Volition Games

Embracer’s restructuring is the result of a disastrous collapse of a proposed $2 billion partnership with Savvy Games Group, a Saudi Arabian-funded organization, who backed out of the deal in May. The result caused Embracer’s share value to plummet, forcing the mega-corporation into cost-cutting mode after it spent years acquiring a multitude of game studios and entertainment IP, such as The Lord of the Rings.

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors announced in an open letter plans to make the company a “leaner, stronger and a more focused, self-sufficient company,” which included plans to close or sell off its portfolio of game studios, along with halting projects in development and other cost-saving measures. Volition is one of the early casualties in this restructuring.

Saints Row 3 Remastered

Volition has closed its doors after celebrating 30 years as a company in June. It began with Descent (as Parallax Software), and released cult classics such as Summoner. However, the Red Faction series was its biggest success in the 2000s. The franchise peaked with Red Faction Guerilla, which received a positive reception. Volition launched the Xbox 360 generation in 2009 with Saints Row. A GTA-inspired franchise, it gained popularity over time and developed a distinct identity. It reached its peak with Saints Row: The Third. 

After the release in 2013 of Saints Row IV, the studio went through a tough patch. In 2017, it tried a brand new IP, Agents of Mayhem. The game was poorly received and had disappointing sales. Its final game, 2022’s Saints Row: RebootEmbracer was also disappointed with the sales of. Gearbox Studio is now the new home of Gearbox. With the studio’s closure, it’s unclear what will become of Saints Row, Red Faction, and the other franchises under its umbrella.

While the last few years weren’t kind of Volition, there’s no denying the positive impact its games and series had on the industry. What’s your favorite Volition game? Comment below to share your favorite memories.