Volition’s most recent release, 2017’s Agents of Mayhem, failed to make a splash like the studio’s beloved Saints Row series. It is no wonder, then, that THQ Nordic has confirmed the team is hard at work on a new Saints Row entry. Apparently, these aren’t the early days of production we’re talking about here. Rather, Volition is already “deep in development” on its next installment in the acclaimed open-world franchise.
This news hit the web courtesy of a THQ Nordic report. It featured only a brief note about Saints Row, but it seems telling enough. According to the report, “Volition is deep in development of a brand-new Saints Row game, the first full entry in the much-loved series since Saints Row IV was released in 2013.”
For now, there are no further details about the project itself. How will the numbering convention work this time around? Might this new experience serve as a direct sequel to the events in the last mainline entry?
According to GamesIndustry.biz, THQ Nordic also teased plans to launch “at least two” AAA titles before March 31, 2020. It’s possible the next Saints Row will be one. Perhaps more information on this front will surface when the publisher shows off some of its new projects during gamescom 2019.
Barring the 2015 launch of Gat out of Hell, the last 6 years without a new Saints Row entry represents the longest break between releases in the franchise. Since the series’ debut in 2006, a new title launched every two or three years in the lead up to Saints Row IV’s original 2013 outing. Much of this can likely be attributed to publisher THQ’s going defunct in January of 2013.
Since Saints Row IV, Volition has produced two projects–Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell and Agents of Mayhem. The former served as an epilogue of sorts for the series’ fourth mainline entry. Meanwhile, the latter allowed the development team at Volition to explore a different side of the Saints Row universe.
[Source: THQ Nordic via Wario64 on Twitter]