Original Saints Row Designer Says Franchise Is Dead After Being Ghosted

The original Saints Row was an unexpected hit in 2006, pushing its tomfoolery further than other urban sandboxes. The 2022 reboot, however, was busted from a technical standpoint and tonally out of sync for fans. Chris Stockman, design director for the original game, says the long-running series has a fork in it.

"I think the franchise is dead, unfortunately," he told a fan on Discord, adding that he gets "the sense that Embracer has zero ability to do anything with it." Stockman says Embracer approached him last November to help course-correct with a Saints Row prequel set in the 1970s, but the pitch did not get far.

He now believes he is being "ghosted" by Embracer and that the 20-year joy ride is probably over: "I wish things were different," he wrote. Embracer expanded by acquiring studios including Gearbox, Crystal Dynamics and THQ, and bought Volition in 2018 as part of the Koch Media purchase.

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