Summary
Last week, the creators of theSaints Rowfranchise Volition was forced to close its doors. This comes amidst the Embracer Group’s restructuring plans and aftertheSaints Rowreboot failed to reinvigorate the franchise, leavingSaints Rowfans wondering what will happen with their favorite open-world series. Nothing has been announced yet which could mean that the franchise has been put on hiatus for the time being. However, there seems to be a relatively easy way to right the ship if the Embracer Group wants to.
TheSaints Rowrebootwas not the return to the more grounded nature of the first two games some players wanted, nor did it retain the charm of the wilder entries in the series. It simply felt like a confused game that did not know what audience it was aiming for; its numerous technical difficulties did not help make the experience any better. While it may be hard to win fans back after the reboot’s issues, a collection of remastered games could be the best way to do it.
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Saints Row Remasters May Be the Key to Keep the Franchise Alive
Remastering classics seems to be a big thing these days, as shown by the success offranchises likeResident Evil. It serves as a great way to bring series that may have lost their way back to their roots while letting nostalgic fans replay favorite titles. When a remaster is handled well, it can be a fantastic adventure for old and new fans alike. It not only lets the studio re-explore the past, but can also be the perfect way for it to build hype for the future, and that is something thatSaints Rowdefinitely needs right now.
TheSaints Rowseries has been in a bit of a tough spot ever since the release ofSaints Row: Gat Out of Hell. The series went completely off the rails by taking players away from the gang story inSaints Row 2to a literal invasion of hell itself. While some players loved the wackier entries in the franchise, others were clamoring for a return to a more grounded story. On top of that, Volition sort of wrote itself into a corner the minute it put the Third Street Saints in charge of the United States.
Saints Rowneeded a bit of reinvention, but the tone of the reboot was not the way to go. Players had grown attached toSaints Rowcharacters like Shaundi, Pierce, and Gat along with much of the comedic writing throughout the course of the series. No one seemed to really want to give any of that up, and they would not have had to if Volition remastered the older games. The studio could have forged ahead with its reboot plans while also honoring the past with a slew of remasters. TheResident Evilfranchise has not stopped releasing remakes while new games take the series in new directions, so clearlySaints Rowcould do the same thing.
Throughout the last 17 years, theSaints Rowseries has only had one remasterwhich came in the form ofSaints Row: The Third Remastered. The remaster retained the charm of that original game while modernizing its art style. After that released, fans were hungry for moreSaints Rowremasters, but instead they got the reboot. Volition and Embracer Group could have done both, yet they chose to only focus on one. Now, fans may never get the remasters that they wanted when they could have been exactly what the series needed to ensure it had a future.
Saints Rowis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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