Saints Row Design Director Believes “Franchise is Dead” Due to Lack of Interest From Embracer

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So, I was really excited when Chris Stockman, who used to be a design director on the original Saints Row, said he was working on a pitch for a reboot back in November. It seemed like there might be a chance for the series to come back! But unfortunately, it looks like that’s not happening. I saw on social media that he posted on Discord saying Embracer Group wasn’t interested in his idea. He basically thinks that means the Saints Row franchise is, well, dead. It’s a bummer, honestly.

Stockman expressed disappointment with the future of the franchise in a Discord message, stating he believes it’s likely over. He feels Embracer Group isn’t capable of reviving it, and while he attempted to propose solutions, his efforts haven’t been acknowledged. He added that he wished the situation was different.

The first Saints Row game came out in 2006 as something of a hidden gem for the Xbox 360. Though it wasn’t a mainstream hit at first, it gained a dedicated fanbase and led to several sequels that became much more well-known. Its initial sales were probably helped by the fact that Grand Theft Auto 4 hadn’t been released yet.

The next game, called Saints Row 2, was released on many different platforms and established the series’ trademark humor and extensive character customization options. Released in the same year as GTA 4, it offered a different experience. While GTA 4 received praise for its realistic approach, strong story, and well-developed characters, Saints Row 2 appealed to players who missed the over-the-top action and playful style of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Released in 2011, Saints Row: The Third ramped up the humor and introduced players to a new city, Steelport, where they helped the Third Street Saints gain power. Two years later, in 2013, Saints Row 4 took things in a new direction, becoming a superhero game while still keeping the fun gameplay and style of the previous installment.

In 2022, developers tried to revive the Saints Row series, but the new game received a lot of criticism. Players found the side missions boring and repetitive, the enemies weren’t very smart, and the story wasn’t well-written. The series hasn’t been heard from much since then.

A report from September revealed that the recent Saints Row reboot was initially designed as a direct sequel to Saints Row: The Third. It would have completely skipped the story of Saints Row 4 and brought back familiar faces like the main character, The Boss, along with Shaundi, Pierce, and Johnny Gat. The game’s open world was going to be set in Santo Ileso.

Last November, Stockman predicted that Grand Theft Auto 6 would likely be the biggest game ever released. He added that Rockstar Games wouldn’t face serious competition unless they made a major mistake with the game.

He worried that if the movie flopped, it could be a huge blow to the film industry, even worse than the disaster surrounding the original E.T., given how much money was invested. He said it would be a complete failure, though he didn’t think that would happen. “But if it does…oh man,” he added.

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2026-02-23 15:12