Groundbreaking Announcement: Volition Addresses Community in the Wake of Studio Closure
Volition, the recently shut down studio, addresses its employees and fans through a heartfelt letter on social media, expressing gratitude and sharing their future plans
Highlights
After a 30-year journey, Volition, a renowned game development studio, has made the difficult decision to cease operations, bidding farewell to its dedicated community. In a heartfelt letter, the studio reminisces about its remarkable history, while also taking a moment to express genuine gratitude towards the talented developers and loyal fans who have been an integral part of this inspiring venture.
Volition's games, like Red Faction and Saints Row, achieved success thanks to the dedication and creativity of their skilled team, comprising artists, creators, designers, and storytellers, who introduced groundbreaking ideas.
Although Volition has closed down, fans hold onto hope that another game company under Embracer Group's ownership will someday revive the beloved Saints Row franchise, while others worry it may never see the light of day again.
After its closure, Volition addressed the community with a letter. Over the course of three decades in the game development industry, Volition created 18 notable titles, including successful games like Descent, Red Faction, FreeSpace, The Punisher, and Saints Row.
Originally established as Parallax Software Corporation in 1993 by Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog, Volition evolved as a studio following their separation. With Mike Kulas retaining Parallax and rebranding it as Volition, the company gained recognition for hits like Descent and Descent 2. In August 2000, THQ acquired Volition, giving rise to the development of the renowned Red Faction and Saints Row franchises. When THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2012, Koch Media acquired Volition, integrating it into the Deep Silver division. In 2018, THQ Nordic acquired Koch Media, resulting in the formation of a separate entity called THQ Nordic AB, which eventually rebranded as Embracer Group to eliminate confusion with THQ Nordic GmbH. As of November 2022, Volition made the transition to Gearbox Software, a prominent video game publisher known for the Borderlands franchise.
Less than a year later, Embracer Group implemented a restructuring program that led to the closure of Volition. The intention of this program was to enhance the media holding company's position within the gaming industry. Volition, known for developing Saints Row, expressed their farewell through a heartfelt letter on Twitter. The letter, displayed as an image along with the company logo, began by reflecting on the studio's impressive 30-year history and highlighted how some games transcend the individuals or organizations that created them.
Within the letter, Volition acknowledged the immense contribution and dedication of the individuals who had been part of the studio over the past three decades. They credited the success of their games to the collaborative efforts of the team, including artists, creators, designers, and storytellers, who continuously generated fresh and captivating concepts. The team's achievements ranged from the well-received Red Faction: Guerrilla to the immensely popular Saints Row: The Third, which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Towards the conclusion of their letter, Volition expressed their deep gratitude towards the gaming community, recognizing their valuable feedback and insights, even during times of dissatisfaction with certain titles, notably the poorly-received Saints Row reboot.
Volition's closure will leave fans reminiscing about the numerous successful titles the studio has released over the past thirty years. Embracer Group, the owner of multiple video game companies, may assign the task of reimagining the beloved Saints Row franchise to one of its subsidiaries, or the Swedish media house may choose to abandon it indefinitely.
