It was August when a reboot to the Saints Row franchise was announced by publisher Deep Silver and developer Volition, and already, a delay is in order. Skipping the February 25 launch date, the open world action game with a brand-new criminal cast will now target an August 23, 2022, release.
"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 Volition"s chief creative officer Jim Boone regarding the delay. "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."
The impact of the pandemic had also been a factor, with Boone saying even though the development team adapted quickly to working from home, the company had underestimated the schedule problems that would arise.
The studio also confirmed that the additional months are being used to fine tune and polish the experience, not rework anything. The announced story direction, characters, and other elements of the reboot won"t be altered during this time. "We love the creative choices we have made, we are confident in them, so they will not be changing," added the studio.
Aside from having more time to polish the experience, the delay helps in neatly avoiding several massive February releases as well. Unless more delays come through, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and Dying Light 2 are slated to land during the month.
Saints Row now launches across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on August 23, 2022. The PC version will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store at launch.