"Saints Row Is Dead": Original Design Director Says Embracer Ghosted His 1970s Prequel Pitch

The Saints Row franchise appears to have run its course, after the reboot in 2022 flopped. Chris Stockman, the design director for the original game, made headlines last November when he claimed that Embracer Group had reached out to him.

While Stockman has not worked with recent developer Volition for years, according to him, a prequel for Saints Row set in the 1970s was his pitch to Embracer to revive the franchise. Unfortunately, it seems that idea has now gone belly up.

Speaking to a fan on Discord, Stockman said that he has been ghosted by Embracer and that the Saints Row franchise is most likely dead. Wrapping it up, saying, “I wish things were different.”

Sadly, it appears Saints Row and Volition are just the latest victims of a studio picked up by Embracer and run aground. After acquiring Volition in 2018, the 2022 Saints Row reboot was the last game we got in the series, which at the time was done under constant restructuring and staff transfers. After the game failed to meet sales expectations, Volition was shut down by Embracer in 2023.

Have you ever played any of the Saints Row games? Do you think anyone tries to revive the Saints Row franchise? Let us know in the comments and make sure to join the GamerzTheory Discord.