Saints Row 1 designer reckons the series is 'dead,' adding that Embracer 'ghosted' him after a comeback pitch: 'I wish things were different'

Saints Row 1 designer reckons the series is ‘dead,’ adding that Embracer ‘ghosted’ him after a comeback pitch: ‘I wish things were different’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Grand Theft Auto Rockstar celebrates official GTA mod support by nuking non-official mod platform RPG The new game from Disco Elysium’s studio feels like the first Christmas after your parents’ divorce Gaming Industry How often do we see game sequels totally shift genres? Games Stop Killing Games is launching NGOs in the European Union and the US: ‘We’re not just going away on this’ FPS Highguard didn’t flop FPS Laid-off Highguard developer cuts loose on the reaction to the infamous Game Awards reveal trailer: ‘We were turned into a joke from minute one’ FPS Highguard website woes are just an administrative thing, developer says, and the studio is in no rush to fix it because ‘reputational damage’ is already done Fallout Fallout’s original creators say that Fallout 3 and 4 aren’t quite what they would’ve done, but ‘sales say people love what they did’ FPS Geoff Keighley shouldn’t be blamed for Highguard’s failure, Larian publishing boss says: ‘There are genuine villains in this industry but I just don’t see them here’ RPG Anime action RPG studio Pahdo Labs shuts down despite accruing $17.5M in funding: ‘We believed making a demo of a familiar but new game would be our best shot’ Grand Theft Auto A GTA modder has got the 1997 original working perfectly on modern PCs and Steam Deck, and it’s a joy to behold: ‘I wanted pick up-and-play GTA on Windows with the best possible compatibility without classic installation’ FPS Destiny 2 director doesn’t want it to ‘be a dead live game’, as the ailing shooter stares down the barrel of fan outrage: ‘We want to keep building Destiny’ FPS Dishonored co-creator says it was ‘a shock’ when Microsoft closed Arkane Austin after Redfall’s release: ‘We were working on something really cool’ VR Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod disappears after mod maker decides he’d rather take it down than make it free Action Yakuza Kiwami 3 is where ‘The Kiwami line will come to an end,’ which might be for the best given how badly it’s been handled PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Games Action Saints Row Saints Row 1 designer reckons the series is ‘dead,’ adding that Embracer ‘ghosted’ him after a comeback pitch: ‘I wish things were different’ News By Justin Wagner published 21 February 2026 The Third Street Saints won’t go marching in anytime soon. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Deep Silver) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Saints Row is dead. Long live Saints Row? No, it’s actually dead, at least according to the design director on the first game, Chris Stockman. As Eurogamer reported, Stockman said as much in a Discord for his new company, Bit Planet Games. A thread on X from user papaRPG popularized a screenshot of Stockman responding to a comment lamenting the series’ recent radio silence in January: “I think the franchise is dead,” he wrote.”I get the sense that Embracer has zero ability to do anything with it,” Stockman continues in the screenshot. “I wish things were different. I tried my best to offer a path forward but they’ve ghosted me.”It seems like Stockman is referencing the pitch we reported on back in November, wherein he wanted to take the series back to its “roots.” Probably a popular decision since the so-so reboot landed with an unceremonious thud back in 2022. The death of Volition followed a year later, when parent company Embracer restructured its business. Related articles Suda51 says his new game isn’t a No More Heroes sequel because series star Travis Touchdown needed a break: ‘I could write Travis all day, but dude is exhausted’ Rockstar co-founder finally settles ancient debate: GTA is NOT as good as Charles Dickens Painkiller’s creator isn’t a fan of its recent co-op reboot: ‘I disagreed with every single thing they’ve done in it’ More recently on the Bit Planet Discord, Stockman reiterated that the ball is in Embracer’s court. He wrote Feb. 17, “As long as they are in business they own it … they could license it to me or contract us to manage it, but I’ve done all I can do to try and make that happen.”A return for the venerable Grand Theft Auto-l