„The days of throwing money at games other than the GTAs of the world is over.” Saber Interactive head explains Saints Row's failure
The head of Saber Interactive believes that the reboot of the Saint Row series was too expensive for what it actually was. He heralds the end of pointless spending and says the industry needs to mature.
At the end of August 2023, the Volition studio was closed. These are the developers of the Saints Row series, whose latest installment turned out to be mediocre and a big disappointment for fans. Now, in an interview given to independent journalist Stephen Totilo (via GamesRadar+), the head of Saber Interactive studio, Matthew Karch, shared his thoughts on the failure of games from this series.
They were so expensive for what they were. They didn't know what they were building. They didn't have any real direction. It couldn't last. And so, who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?
Speaking of a disaster, Karch clearly refers to the reboot of Saints Row released over two years ago. The CEO of Embracer Group, the owner of Volition studio, stated some time after the release that the game didn't fully meet the company's expectations. However, in terms of financial results, it performed according to plan. As we know, this didn't help to save Volition.
Karch points out that this is simply how the world we live in works. If a game doesn't produce enough revenue, layoffs are a natural result and shouldn't be unexpected. He also heralds the end of splurging money on big titles and emphasizes the need for the gaming industry to mature.
The days of throwing money at games other than maybe the GTAs of the world is over. It's over. This business needs to mature. If it doesn't, the whole business is in trouble. Unfortunately, that means layoffs.
Currently, the Saints Row brand is owned by Plaion, a company belonging to the Embracer Group. Unfortunately, we don't know if further development is planned for it. Saber Interactive was owned by Embracer for several years, but regained independence in 2024.
