In context: At the opening of Gamescom, Volition revealed its next game in the Saints Row series as promised, but it’s not Saints Row V. It is instead a reboot of the franchise titled Saints Row: Self Made, and should not be mistaken as a remake of the first title in the series.
Saints Row: Self Made is an entirely new game set in, as some predicted, the American Southwest in a fictional city called Santo Ileso. There are four main characters—Eli, Kevin, Nina, and the player character, the “Boss.” The quartet is just starting out building their “criminal empire,” but they have three rival gangs to take care of first.
Volition shared the announce trailer (masthed) and a very brief pre-alpha gameplay teaser (below) during the opening of Gamescom. It looks a lot like the familiar Saints Row action fans would expect. The developers told Engadget that they abandoned some more juvenile humor, but the game’s irreverence remains intact.
Fans can also expect to see crazy weapons that are somewhat iconic to the series. Volition even hinted that a couple of the more popular ones from previous games would appear but wouldn’t elaborate which ones. Some of the crazier mission types are also coming back, including my personal favorite, Insurance Fraud. There is just something fun and satisfying about throwing yourself in front of cars to see how long you can keep yourself ragdolling.
The tonal change and the fact that Volition is doing a reboot rather than Saints Row V came from the idea that the original narrative had run its course.
“The original story, by the end of Gat out of Hell, had burned through all of its narrative runway,” Lead mission designer Jeremy Bernstein told Engadget. “When your player protagonist has conquered Earth, ascended to Godhood, and escaped hell, there’s not much you can do to top it.”
Saints Row: Self Made is slated to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. It should hit shelves on February 25, 2022.