Earlier this month, Saints Row creator Chris Stockman was interviewed about the game's legacy after the reboot failed to get the franchise back on track and the series went on hiatus for the time being when developer Volition closed.
In that interview, Stockman personally reached out to Embracer and promised that he could get the band back together and “turn the franchise around” with a '70s prequel that returns to its roots, leveraging the heart and soul of the original two games.
Well, it turns out Embracer contacted me. Stockman claimed on Reddit two days ago that he was asked to create promotional material for a Saints Row sequel. “I can’t say much more than that, but my dream for this game was more than just a dream,” he said.
If you're wondering how trustworthy this Reddit user is, if it's not Stockman, that means they've been impersonating him, responding to AMAs, and even sharing in-development footage for nine years.
Of course, this is just a suggestion and Embracer may reject Stockman's idea, but it's a promising first step. And his idea for a new game has already resonated with the community.
Stockman's idea for a 70s Saints Row sequel set in Stilwater.
“What I was trying to do was take the franchise back to the ‘70s and do a period piece, a sequel to how the first gang started,” Stockman explained. “You're running around with a crew of teenagers who were the main characters from the first game. We were able to really go all in on the '70s theme with big afros, bell-bottoms, and music from the whole era.”
I much prefer the previous entry.
The ending of Saints Row 4 resulted in a reboot of the series, as the Earth was blown up by aliens, leaving little wiggle room for future games. This is why Gat out of Hell was split into different timelines, including Agents of Mayhem. But a prequel set in Stilwater, featuring fan-favorite characters like Julius and Ben King, would avoid the messy aftermath of later games and return us to the grounded tone many have been asking for.
Hopefully, this doesn't start and end with a Reddit post and Stockman's vision for a '70s Saints Row sequel comes to fruition. We can only cross our fingers for now, but one hope is that Stockman doesn't require a huge budget. Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch claimed it was “ruining” developers like Volition.
“You can turn that IP around with the right budget. You don't even have to raise money. You can ask other outside people to raise money. You can turn the franchise around. I know you can do it,” Stockman said.
Fortunately, it won't be VR.
- released
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September 1, 2006
- ESRB
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18 years or older
