Saints Row developer Volition has stated that it is “not backing down on this game” after a portion of the series’ fanbase expressed disappointment with the direction of the newly-announced reboot.
The official Saints Row Twitter account has been responding to numerous critical messages since the reveal of the reboot at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live. Replying to a user who said that they felt “like I wasted my time defending you guys,” the official account said “We are not backing down on this game. We get it, it’s new and it’s a shock reaction to a reboot like no other.”
We are not backing down on this game. We get it, it’s new and it’s a shock reaction to a reboot like no other. The gif was supposed to convey that.
— Saints Row (@SaintsRow) August 26, 2021
Volition has offered up several similar replies on the Saints Row Twitter account, countering numerous disappointed fans. Some of these retorts have been surprisingly sassy, too; accused of making the game’s art style the same as Fortnite, Volition said “We don’t think you know what Fortnite looks like but you do you.”
The Saints Row account has also made several replies stating that it is “Doing a reboot like no one has ever done a reboot before”, which is a slightly odd thing to say considering that Volition also rebooted its linear FPS Red Faction as a third-person open-world game with realistic physics-based destruction. Saints Row certainly doesn’t look that much of a departure; our own preview suggests it actually looks similar to Saints Row The Third.
Doing a reboot like no one has ever done a reboot before… pretty Saints Row if you ask us 🤔
— Saints Row (@SaintsRow) August 26, 2021
Among the replies are also a few tidbits of information that helps clear up some fan questions. The removal of the series’ hallmark purple from the logo is “Because at the start of this game you’re not a Saint yet.” The reboot will also feature customisable cars, as well as "better" character customisation.
It’s safe to say the reaction to the reboot from the series’ established fans hasn’t been one of unified happiness. The official trailer on the Saints Row YouTube channel currently has 21,000 dislikes, compared to 15,000 likes. The most popular comments are also negative in nature; a comment that simply states the Godfather meme “Look how they massacred my boy” has 121 likes at time of writing.
For more, read about the reveal of the Saints Row reboot at Gamescom 2021 and check out every Easter egg in the trailer.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.