Saints Row Reboot Has Officially Been Delayed
Oh what a surprise, another AAA release has been delayed. Heading back to the whole Cyberpunk 2077 debacle, everything from God of War Ragnarok to Battlefield 2042, Horizon Forbidden West to Halo Infinite has been slapped with a delay. Now, the Saints Row reboot has officially been given the nudge.
First released in 2006, Saints Row follows the fictional 3rd Street Saints street gang. Away from the original, Saints Row spawned three sequels - with the last being 2013's Saints Row IV. The franchise is one of the best-selling video game series of all time, and after too long out of the spotlight, its long-awaited return is being welcomed with open arms.
Saints Row Reboot: What's Been Going On?
In an official statement from Volition boss Jim Boone, it's been confirmed that the Saints Row Reboot has lost its February 2022 release date. "Our priority is to create the best Saints Row game yet and, if we released on the original date, it wouldn’t be up to the standards we’ve set ourselves, and that you’re expecting and deserve," said Boone.
"The team just need more time to do our vision justice; we’re doing some fine tuning and there won’t be much change in the game outside of overall quality and polish. In all honesty, we underestimated the impact COVID would have on our schedule, although everyone adapted very quickly to the working from home arrangement and continued to be incredibly productive.
"However, due to the size and scope of our new Saints Row, it’s become apparent that to create the best game possible, we need to give our team longer to perfect their craft. As mentioned when we announced Saints Row in August, this will be the biggest and best Saints Row game ever and, in order to achieve our goal, we’ve settled upon a generous, yet essential amount of time to realise our ambitions.
"Rest assured, there will not be any changes to the story or the characters or anything that we’ve lovingly imagined over the last few years and already shared with you. Over the past two years, all corners of the entertainment industry have been affected/impacted in one way or another.
As gamers ourselves, we know what it feels like to have something delayed which you’ve been looking forward to; it’s frustrating and you feel disappointed. But we also know that when we finally get Saints Row in your hands, it will have been worth the wait. It’s our absolute priority to get this right."
At the time of writing, Saints Row is being moved a full six months from next February to August 23, 2022. Remember, this could still move again. There are plenty of instances where major games have been moved multiple times.
Saints Row Reboot: Why Has It Been Delayed?
Click to enlargeThe main blame seems to be the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although it seems we're (hopefully) coming out of the other side, the gaming industry has been hit particularly hard. The other contributing factor is that next February is a massive one for game releases. Already on the docket are Horizon Forbidden West, Dying Light 2, and Elden Ring, meaning Saints Row was always in danger of being lost in the shuffle.
Now, we're not betting people. That being said, we'd guess the disastrous release of the GTA Trilogy might have the likes of the Saint Row team feeling a little worried. Proving what happens when you rush a game to hit release, the remaster of those noughties GTA titles has already been dubbed this year's Cyberpunk. The same can be said for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, with devs already confirming the game isn't complete and will finish via post-release updates.
Ultimately, it's only for the best that the Saints Row reboot is given a little more time in the kitchen. Too many potentially great games have been hung, drawn, and quartered by a pixel hungry crowd of impatient gamers.
