PC Gaming

CEO and corporate bullshit aside, it's sad what the series became before Volition was eventually shut down. The first game could probably be described as a GTA clone, without being harsh. The second game was fantastic, at least if you disregard the flawed PC port. I played it on Xbox 360 back in the day and to this day, the cut scenes are some of the best I've seen in a video game. The side activities were bonkers, overall just a great game. Saints Row: The Third was pretty ambitious and I didn't like the over-the-top scenario with aliens and whatnot. Saints Row IV was okay-ish, but lacked focus and direction. I was glad that I played it several years after its initial release for a very low price.

Saints Row as a franchise is pretty much exemplary for the game industry in this day and age. They release a good first game, which is fun despite some flaws. Then they improve on that and release a fantastic second game in the series. It sells well, so they decide to hire more people, expand the scope and make a more over-the-top third game. That still sells well, but somehow feels erratic and hollow. Then they continue the downward spiral until the suits pull the plug after five games and the studio is disbanded. Money is killing the game industry, but not the way the corpo from the article thinks.