Saints Row sequel could still happen despite ‘polarised’ reception implies Embracer-Michael Beckwith-Entertainment – Metro

Saints Row – do you want a sequel or should the series be put out to pasture? (pic: Volition)

Despite split opinions among the fanbase, the Saints Row reboot hasn’t done so badly that Embracer’s giving up on the series.

Regardless of whether you liked the new Saints Row or not (we didn’t), it’s clear that it’s been met with very divided opinions. We found it to be outdated and repetitive while others (including at least one of our readers) think critics have judged it too harshly.

Given the reception, it naturally raises the question of whether Embracer Group (which owns the Saints Row IP, along with almost everything else on the planet) is interested in continuing the series reboot or not.

Although there’s no definitive answer, it sounds like Embracer isn’t entirely sure either and is waiting to see how much more money the game makes in the coming months.

Speaking with investors, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors broached the topic of Saints Rows’ release, where he admitted to being slightly dismayed with the negative response from some fans.

‘Personally I had hoped for a greater reception of the game. It’s been a very polarised view,’ he said. ‘There is a lot of things that could be said and details around it. I’m happy to see a lot of gamers and fans happy.

‘At the same time I’m a bit sad to see also fans not happy. It’s difficult. I think we need to wait until the quarterly report in November to have more details.’

He’s also not expecting the game to turn as much of a profit as some of the company’s other releases. However, he’s not ready to write it off as a complete failure and notes that more content and bug fixes are coming.

‘I’m confident we will make money on the investment. Would it have as great a return of investment that we have seen in many other games? Not very likely, but we will make money and that’s a good starting point,’ he said, as transcribed by Axios’ Stephen Totilo on Twitter.

When specifically asked if the reboot will impact the future of the franchise, Wingefors gave an expectedly non-committal answer: ‘Obviously you always want every instalment of any IP to be greater than the last one, but what you do is… evaluate your position, the outcome … and there [are] hundreds of people engaged in this game in the group.

‘I still have a great trust in those people, and I am sure they will recommend things for the future.’

More: Gaming

He also refers to Saints Row as ‘one of the harder ones’ of the company’s projects to gain a high return on investment. In short, it doesn’t make a lot of money as easily as other projects.

The best case scenario is that Saints Row will be profitable enough to warrant a follow-up, but even if it does it’s unlikely to be a high priority for Embracer.

Saints Row is available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Saints Row hands-on preview and interview – ‘we’re definitely more grounded’

MORE : Saints Row IV: Re-Elected & Gat Out Of Hell review – damned good?

MORE : Lord of the Rings licence bought by Embracer Group instead of Amazon

Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Entertainment – MetroRead More