Saints Row once had all the pieces in place to stand tall next to GTA.
In fact, it almost gave GTA a run for its money, but almost is the keyword here.
It had potential, direction, and a unique voice, but it just lost focus. The series didn't lack creativity; it just drifted too far from what made it what it was.
Everything traces back to 2006 when the original Saints Row hit the Xbox 360 as a gritty crime sandbox. It didn't have GTA's name behind it, but it found its crowd with solid mechanics, character customization, and urban warfare.
The crime felt raw and street-level, and although people drew parallels to GTA, it took a deeper dive into gang politics and player immersion in a way Rockstar didn't.
Many fans still regard the sequel (Saints Row 2) as the series' peak. The city of Stilwater grew larger, gameplay was polished, and humor, heart, and chaos were seamlessly integrated. The story was emotional yet satirical, violent yet meaningful.
It was with Saints Row: The Third that the shift began. The game went all in on absurdity. Players controlled a gang that had become a global brand, and the story prioritized spectacle over depth.
The world of street wars and power struggles gave way to giant sex toys (yes, that dildo bat), luchador gangs, and nonsensical heist scenarios.
Some fans appreciated the change, but others noticed the series losing its core identity. Steelport was missing Stilwater's personality, which was a story that often felt like a string of memes rather than a solid arc.
Saints Row IV was the turning point. Reality was cast aside as the Boss was thrust into a digital world filled with aliens, superpowers, and pop culture references. It had its fun moments wildly, though it was a far cry from what Saints Row used to be.
It wiped the slate clean and adopted a tone that pushed away players who wanted a more grounded, character-focused experience. It was obvious the series had turned into a parody of itself by the time Gat Out of Hell arrived.
After a long hiatus, the reboot came in 2022 with a promise to bring Saints Row back to basics. But rather than going back to basics, it felt like taking a blind shot.
The new cast fell flat, the tone was muddled, and the city was unoriginal. The writing didn't resonate as much, and the gameplay felt outdated despite being technically polished.
We weren't asking for a carbon copy of older titles but a game that still embraced the core spirit: gang rivalries, solid character interactions, and missions that felt earned.
The reboot ditched all of that in favor of appealing to trend-driven fans, and it backfired. Sales were disappointing, reviews were mediocre, and the backlash was loud and clear.
Not only was it a disappointing entry, but it also marked the series' end. In August 2023, Embracer Group announced the closure of Volition, the studio that had worked on the franchise for nearly two decades.
After years of unsuccessful attempts at reinvention, the studio was shut down during a corporate restructuring that cut hundreds of jobs across Embracer's portfolio.
Several former developers came together to form a new studio called Shapeshifter Games.
Rather than going after Saints Row, the studio’s now pitching in on big AAA projects. One of its first projects is Clockwork Revolution, a steampunk RPG from inXile Entertainment.
There’s no official word yet on whether Shapeshifter is planning a Saints Row revival or spiritual successor.
But Embracer Group still owns the rights, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a new game from other studios unless something changes behind the scenes.
If it had gone back to its roots with enhanced systems, expanded mechanics, and perhaps multiplayer or modding support, it could have found success.
At the end of the day, Saints Row didn't go under for copying GTA too much.
It fell apart when it tried to escape what made it different.