The new Saints Row game is a reboot for the series that is set to release on February 25, 2022.
The game promises some major changes for the series, with brand new characters, a new location to build your crime empire in, and a new, less outrageous tone. Saints Row is also coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC, and the entire campaign is playable in co-op.
Of course, it’s still an open-world game and you’ll still have plenty of control over your customizable hero. This time, you’ll team up with three friends, Neenah, Kevin, and Eli, to form your own criminal gang from scratch, working your way through missions to take over the city of Santo Ileso.
Volition is calling this the most diverse city it's ever created for a Saints Row game, with plenty of different landscapes to make the most of the game's fleet of vehicles, including go-karts, hoverbikes, and a figure-hugging wingsuit that is especially fun around skyscrapers. As you fight for criminal supremacy you'll come up against other factions like the tough Los Panteros and the neon-haired Idols, and get the chance to change the face of Santo Ileso itself.
"As new areas of Santo Ileso get taken under the Saints control, new career opportunities are unlocked and with new territory comes new vacant lots and players choose what gets built on those lots and what criminal businesses to run from them," added design director James Hague.
"These buildings come with player choice – where and which structures you opt for will impact the world."
Some might see this more serious tone as a big risk for developer Volition - after all, this is the series that made a name for itself with weapons like a giant purple sex toy - but during the reveal chief creative officer Jim Boone explained the changes were crucial to make the game feel current.
"In terms of the story that we wanted to tell, it was important for us to come up with something that we felt resonated right now, not something that did maybe ten plus years ago," he said.
You can read more about it in our Saints Row preview, which has more details on the shady shenanigans the reboot has to offer.
