The Third Street Saints are back, but without the cast of characters fans of the franchise may remember. After they conquered the galaxy, the story of the original Saints is over. But developer Volition revealed today that the franchise is being rebooted with a new title simply named Saints Row that’s set to release February 25, 2022.
While the franchise is being rebooted, Saints Row won’t be forgoing any of its core tenets. Players are still gangsters, and the game itself is promising plenty of wacky and over-the-top gameplay. However, Saints Row will be more grounded than previous releases in the franchise. Players won’t be going to hell and fighting Satan, and they won’t have superpowers. Instead, Saints Row will have more in common with Saints Row 2. Players will build up their gang and take over the game’s city, block by block.
Saints Row will take place in Santo Aliso, a sprawling city inspired by the American Southwest. The game’s map will also be larger than any in previous entries in the franchise and will include a city, its outlying suburbs, and vast stretches of wildlands. Players will slowly take over this city with a new system called Criminal Ventures. By exerting their power, either financially or with lots of guns, players can take over land in the city’s districts and put whatever they want there. In an early presentation, developers at Volition gave the example of players being able to put toxic waste dumps in Santo Aliso’s financial district.
Of course, Saints Row will still be a, well, Saints Row game. Players will be able to go through the entire game with a co-op partner, customize their character from head to toe, and use an arsenal of weapons. The game’s developers also made a point to say that this isn’t a grim and dark reboot. Saints Row will still have the humor of its past entries, with activities like Insurance Fraud, in which players hurl themselves into oncoming traffic, taking center stage.
Saint Row is set to launch on February 25, 2022, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
