Geoff Keighley kicked off Gamescom Opening Night Live in style by announcing the previously-teased Saints Row reboot. Keighley was on hand with actor Bryce Charles to showcase a cinematic reveal trailer for the Saints Row reboot, explaining the basic premise of the game while also showing some brief snippets of gameplay.
The Saints Row reboot looks like it will retain the over-the-top open world action of previous games in the series, though it seems to be pulling things back a bit when compared to Saints Row 4 and Gat Out of Hell. Based on what was shown, it looks as though the new Saints Row game will have more in common with Saints Row 3 than anything else, still embracing its silliness while being more grounded than the most recent entries in the series.
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The Saints Row reboot will be making some major changes to the franchise. Saints Row developer Volition is taking a "fresh approach" to Saints Row, introducing new characters and a new city. Set in the American southwest, the Saints Row reboot sees players take on the role of The Boss, who forms The Saints gang with their friends Eli, Kevin, and Neenah. Together they take on the new city of Santo Ileso, which is currently controlled by three major gangs: Los Panteros, The Idols, and Marshall. Players will be able to team up with friends in drop-in/drop-out co-op to make taking over Santo Ileso a little easier.
Whereas the newer Saints Row games had players take on the role of the president of the United States and had players use superpowers, the Saints Row reboot story sounds like it's going to have more in common with the first game. It's once again going to be about a gang of criminals trying to rise to the top of the criminal underworld. It was implied in the trailer that players would be taking on the role of a pre-made Boss portrayed by Bryce Charles, but that doesn't actually seem to be the case. The game will reportedly allow for "unprecedented customization," though there may need to be some more clarification on this matter.
For those interested in seeing Saints Row reboot gameplay and an interview with Bryce Charles, here it is:
There definitely seems to be a mixed reaction to the Saints Row reboot announcement so far, but the bright side is that fans don't have to wait all that long to find out for themselves if the game lives up to the legacy of its predecessors. As announced at Gamescom, the Saints Row reboot will launch on February 25, 2022, so there should be plenty more revealed about it in the coming months.
Saints Row launches February 25, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.