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After the Saints Row reboot hands-off preview was conducted, the developers at Volition opened up about the upcoming title. They’re quite excited about the impending launch and feel like there is a great deal for long-time fans of the series to love, even if the original Saints are not returning, and there are some changes to the franchise in this release.
Despite that, the developers have gone on record to say that the game still very much feels like Saints Row in essence. The game’s reveal was met with backlash, but that is not stopping the developers.
Saints Row’s reboot reveal was met with backlash, but developers are still positive
The original reveal of Saints Row was not met with joy from any part of the fanbase. Quite a few people were excited, but when it came down to it, some very vocal parts of the fanbase weren’t happy.
Fans talked about how the new characters would get bullied by the original Saints or accused the developers of being out of touch with what the fans wanted. Quite a few people on social media were disappointed with what has been revealed so far.
The majority of fans were still happy, though, and said these complaints were just people who were out of touch themselves. The developers, however, spoke about this recently and said that despite the game starring new characters, it’s still going to feel like Saints Row.
The developers discussed the backlash in a recent interview with Eurogamer and admitted that it was a bit frustrating to see the responses from the fans. This is because fans cannot see what’s happening at the studio.
Kenzie Lindgren, associate UX designer, was the developer who said the Saints were not going to return, and this caused a large amount of backlash.
“I was the one that came out and said, 'The Saints are not coming back,' and that can be very nerve-wracking. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. And honestly, the entire time I've been here... we've always been confident in this direction. I've always been confident in this, and I personally have loved what we've made. So yeah, it can be frustrating, but I'm also pretty confident still."
The developers doubled down, though, and said this backlash wasn’t going to get them to change the direction of the game. Deep Silver Volition believes in the product they’re developing, and they think once the game releases, fans will see what they’ve done and appreciate it.
Lindgren and others were aware that their decision would be unpopular but stood their ground on it because they were confident that what they had created would be enjoyable, even without the original Saints.
"I think there was always a part of me and maybe even some other people in the studio that always knew it was going to be a little rough at first, because the [old] Saints are not coming back... I think that was always going to be something that was kind of contentious.”
Saints Row’s developers feel like there will be something for everybody in the game once it drops. It will have full co-op gameplay but will not feature cross-platform.
Fans won’t have to wait much longer to see what the developers are putting together. Saints Row launches on August 23, 2022, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms.
