Despite the launch of Starfield, today is a sad day for the video game industry. At a time when we see more and more companies developing games, it is always bad news to see some of them leave the industry.
Volition, the company behind games like Saints Row and Red Faction, is closing its doors. Embracer Group, who took over the company years ago, has announced a major restructuring via LinkedIn. This will result in the immediate closure of Volition.
30 years down the drain
Volition has had some great releases in the history of video games. One of its most important franchises is Saints Row. It’s a franchise that took advantage of the adventure and action genre in its heyday. However, all these efforts to position themselves as a major developer seem to have been in vain.
The Embracer Group has acquired several development studios in recent years. In addition to buying Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics and Borderlands developer Gearbox, they also bought Volition. Embracer Group wanted to give Volition’s biggest franchise a facelift. The result of this facelift was Saints Row (2022). But the result was not what Volition or Embracer Group had hoped for.
As a result, Embracer Group has decided to restructure. As part of the restructuring, Volition will be closed down. That is why they have announced via LinkedIn the impending closure of the development studio with more than 30 years of history in the industry.
The statement reads in part:
This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.
The closure comes as Saints Row (2022) seems to be gaining traction again. The game will be part of the free PlayStation Plus Essential games and also recently arrived on Steam. However, no further content from the franchise or other games developed under the Volition name is expected.
But regardless of Embracer Group’s mismanagement, the Volition name will always be a brand that people recognize in the gaming industry.
