Deep Silver's reveal of a new Saints Row title marks a long-awaited return to the fan favorite open world shooter. The franchise has been largely dormant since Saints Row 4 received a standalone expansion, Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell, in 2015 with the last main series title coming two years earlier. The highly-anticipated Saints Row revival, however, has garned a mixed reaction from fans with many voicing their issues with the direction Deep Silver chose to take the series.
The announcement of the Saints Row reboot was one that had been teased for several months both by Deep Silver and the game's developer, Volition. Volition's community developer previously said the upcoming Saints Row would "blow the roof off" and Gamescom host Geoff Keighley teased the game's announcement in the days leading up to the gaming conference. Now, with the trailer released and many fans expressing their discontent with the trailer, Saints Row's developers have made their stance on the reboot clear.
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Following the passionate responses of one of the franchise's fans on Twitter, the official Saints Row account took a firm stance in saying that the company "is not backing down on this game." The company was careful to stress that it understood the shocked reaction by Saints Row fans to the different tone of the upcoming game when compared to earlier titles as the game's main cast looks far removed from the "gangster" characters the franchise is known for.
Many fans have been quick to criticize the look and attitudes of the game's main cast, feeling the franchise has strayed from its harder gang-inspired roots being replaced with a more modern appearance. Others criticized the mood and style of the trailer referring to the title as "soulless" with some comparing the title to another controversial reboot of a much-loved franchise, DmC: Devil May Cry. The developer's Twitter account has been active since the release of the trailer, interacting with fan feedback both positive and negative.
While Saints Row may have gone a number of years without a new main series title, the Saints Row franchise has been not been far from its legions of fans. The recent Saints Row: The Third remaster brought Saints Row to modern consoles with the remaster releasing on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S earlier this year alongside the game's Steam release. Only time will tell how the finished title will fare, but a return to Saints Row's wild action will be a sight for sore eyes for its fans.
Saints Row is currently slated to launch on February 25, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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