Starfield, one of the biggest games of the year, is here and has opened up to fantastic ratings and reviews from multiple critics. With being Bethesda’s newest IP to having such high standards of 1000 explorable planets and a lengthy story mode, there was no doubt for many that Starfield would end up blowing over the genre with its immersive gameplay.
Although, Starfield’s high ratings are not enough to make it topple the giants, it seems like its spotlight might be taken away temporarily because of a shocking piece of news for the gaming community.
This makes me so happy!#Starfield reviews with high scores! pic.twitter.com/56xliFYpPZ
— Karim Jovian (@KJovian) August 31, 2023
Embracer Group, the owners of Gearbox, THQ Nordic and many other studios have decided to shut down the Saints Row developers, Volition with immediate effect.
In the LinkedIn Post by Volition, they state “The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We’ve been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.”
BREAKING: Embracer Group has shut down Volition after 30 years🚀
Volition has developed gaming franchises like:
✅Saints Row
✅Red Faction
✅Descent
✅Summoner😱How do you feel about Embracer continuing to shut down studios?🎮
Source/Message: https://t.co/120I3tx550 pic.twitter.com/eA20ekQEd5
— Rino (@RinoTheBouncer) August 31, 2023
“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.”
“To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition for our Volition family members. We thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years. You will always be in our hearts.”
The post ended with a sign out from Volition who recently celebrated their 30-year anniversary.
Why did Volition shut down?
Volition has been a part of the gaming community for over 30 years with Saints Row and Red Faction being their biggest titles. Saints Row is generally labeled as a GTA knockoff due to the similarities in their gameplay but the Volition title managed to make name for itself with its wits and over-the-top gameplay elements like superpowers, adult humor, etc.
Outdated in every aspect from its open world design to its core gameplay, riddled with game-breaking bugs, absent any sort of coherent plot and starring an insufferable cast of characters, the Saints Row reboot is a disaster. My review:
==> https://t.co/iK4yNcJ8Gu pic.twitter.com/Z8UWgfJmxL
— Skill Up (Famous Gamer) (@SkillUpYT) August 22, 2022
According to reports, Embracer CEO, Lars Wingefors, was disappointed with the reception that the Saints Row Reboot got and expressed his disappointment in the game. Months after this, it was announced that Volition will be dissolved into Gearbox Entertainment, the developers of the Borderlands series.
Embracer announced that as part of their restructuring, many of its gaming studios will be closed, however, there wasn’t a list available of which studios it will be.
It seems like Embracer finally went through with their plans and Volition Games was one of the studios planned for a shut down. Starfield with its release and Volition’s shutdown is currently taking the spotlight. The gaming community is on a roller coaster with many disappointed at the shutdown.
