Saints Row creator Volition Games is closing down

The Embracer Group has closed Saints Row developers Volition “effective immediately”

Volition has been a game developer for over 30 years, starting off as Parallax Software before changing the company’s name to Volition in 1996. The studio is well known for the Descent series, the Red Faction series, and, most famously, the Saints Row series. Now, the studio has closed.

Back in 2000, Volition was acquired by THQ, and following THQ’s bankruptcy in 2012, the studio was acquired by Koch Media and placed under the company’s Deep Silver label. Koch Media was then acquired by the Embracer Group in 2018, and a restructuring at Embracer is what has ultimately led to Volition’s closure.

Volition’s Saints Row series is the studio’s most popular franchise, but following the release of Saints Row 4, the studio has not seen much success. 2017’s Agents of Mayhem did not review well, and the company’s 2022 Saints Row reboot launched with mixed reviews and lower than expected sales. Embracer’s CEO, Lars Wingefors, has stated that he was disappointed in Saints Row’s performance, making it unsurprising that Volition is getting axed by the Embracer Group.

Below is Volition’s LinkedIn post, which revealed the studio’s immediate closure.

We at OC3D wish all of Volition’s staff good fortune when seeking new jobs elsewhere. Thank you for all of the great gaming experiences that you have given us over the years.

You can join the discussion on Volition’s closure on the OC3D Forums.