It's hard to even remember a game that's made it scheduled release date even before the pandemic kicked in, let alone during it, even if a development team has done well to adapt to the work from home changes.Īs such, release dates now do little more than to serve the purpose for investors and shareholders to gauge the interest a game might receive upon its eventual release – and maybe rack up a few pre-orders in the process. From reveal to launch in just five months doesn't fly these days (even if there's evidence the game has been in development since at least 2019). Revealed back in August 2021, it never really truly felt like the new Saints Row game would make its original release date. It's our absolute priority to get this right." But we also know that when we finally get Saints Row in your hands, it will have been worth the wait. 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. "Over the past two years, all corners of the entertainment industry have been affected/impacted in one way or another. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more from Saints Row, but otherwise, look for the game to launch on August 23rd, 2022."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. This almost certainly isn’t the last COVID-related game delay we’ll see either, as the pandemic is still very much a reality in many parts of the world. Indeed, it seems that delays caused by the pandemic are commonplace even when teams can make the change to working remotely without losing much in the way of productivity. In this case, Boone says that even though the pandemic did impact the project, the team at Volition was able to swiftly adapt to working from home and continued being productive despite the changes. The Saints Row reboot was first announced during Gamescom 2021 to mixed reactions, showing a more grounded approach to the criminal gang in the vein of Saints Row 3 in comparison to the more outlandish gameplay elements like superpowers in Saints Row 4. Saints Row is just the latest on a long list of games that have been delayed because of the pandemic, as teams are forced to work remotely and progress on development slows. It’s not a shock at all to hear that the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the driving factors behind this delay, as it’s turned game development on its head. While this delay is indeed a sizable one, Boone says that it’s necessary in order to craft the best game possible, which he reiterates will be the “biggest and best Saints Row game ever.” Boone notes that if Saints Row had been released in February, it “wouldn’t be up to the standards we’ve set ourselves.” He also suggests that the game is mostly finished on the content front, with Volition focusing on “overall quality and polish” during this extra six months.Īs with so many other game delays, COVID-19 is at the center of this one, with Boone saying that Volition underestimated the pandemic’s impact on the project. That’s nearly a six-month delay for the title, with Boone saying that Saints Row needs more “fine tuning” in order to do justice to Volition’s vision for the project. “Saints Row will no longer release on the originally announced date of 25th February 2022, instead it will launch worldwide on 23rd August 2022,” Boone’s announcement reads. The delay was announced in a post to the Saints Row website today, with Volition chief creative officer Jim Boone announcing it.