Embracer Group has announced the immediate shutdown of Saints Row studio Volition, after a tumultuous year for the company. While the studio has an impressive three-decade-long tenure, and a busload of award-winning games under its belt, it appears even these accolades paled in the face of business “restructuring”.
“This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry,” the Volition team said of the sudden closure on LinkedIn. “As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.”
While the team at Volition will be supported in their job transition, many tenured employees will likely be out of work – in what’s become a consistent theme of the 2023 games industry. Recently, fellow studios including BioWare, Riot Games, and Firaxis announced significant layoffs for staff, amidst tightening economic conditions.
Read: BioWare lays off 50 employees in mass studio overhaul
In recent months, Embracer Group had begun making harsher cuts, via a worldwide restructuring program designed to lean out the company. Recently, Embracer announced a major US $2 billion deal had fallen through – allegedly, with the Saudi Arabian government-backed Savvy Games – and the failure of this deal has contributed to a wider need to rescope.
Regardless of reasoning, the closure of Volition is unfortunate.
The studio is known for a cavalcade of incredible games – most notably, the Saints Row series. While the recent franchise reboot didn’t quite capture the joy of the original games, Saints Row remains a beloved part of video game history for its over-the-top humour, and colourful cast of characters. It’s likely the series Volition will be most remembered for in future.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by the closure of Volition.
