Saints Row 7 is on the cards, according to a developer who worked on the first entry in the long-running series. However, if the project does materialize, it won’t be a direct follow-up to the 2022 Saints Row reboot.
The information comes from Chris Stockman, a former design director of Volition, the now-defunct studio previously in charge of the Saints Row franchise. Long before Volition was shut down in 2023, Stockman directed the first Saints Row game, playing a key part in defining the identity of what would turn into a 20-year series. He left Volition half a year after Saints Row shipped in August 2006, spending the next seven years working on indie games for a variety of platforms. In 2014, Stockman founded Bit Planet Games, an Austin, Texas-based studio that has developed or published half a dozen titles since then.
Saints Row 1 Director Working on a Prequel Pitch
While it’s been nearly two decades since he was involved in Saints Row, Stockman may soon have a chance to revisit the IP, having recently been asked to create a pitch for a new, seventh entry in the series. That’s according to the developer himself, who said as much in a recent post on the r/SaintsRow subreddit. The industry veteran described the opportunity as a dream come true and clarified the pitch he was asked to draft was specifically for a prequel—more Saints Row 0 than Saints Row 7. “I have a very clear vision for this prequel,” Stockman said, citing his work on the first Saints Row game as the main reason he feels so strongly about the project.
Saints Row Prequel Won’t Be a VR Game
Since 2014, Stockman’s studio Bit Planet Games has developed multiple titles for virtual reality headsets. This track record led some fans to respond to his prequel pitch story by urging him not to make the new game a VR experience, positing that most of the franchise’s audience plays on traditional platforms. He assuaged those concerns by saying that if the project moves forward, it won’t be a VR game.
The Many Names of Saints Row IP Owners
Although Stockman did not clarify who approached him, the most likely answer is Plaion, formerly known as Koch Media. The company has owned the Saints Row IP since 2013, following the bankruptcy of the series’ original publisher, THQ. In 2018, Koch Media was acquired by THQ Nordic, which was rebranded as Embracer Group a year later. Koch Media itself was renamed to Plaion in early August 2022, mere weeks before the Saints Row reboot launched to mixed reviews. Embracer is set to undergo a restructuring by the end of 2025, splitting into three entities, with the division that includes Plaion to be named Fellowship Entertainment.
I have a very clear vision for this prequel.
Saints Row 7 Unlikely To Arrive Before 2030s
Medium- and big-budget game development projects nowadays take an average of five years. As a result, even if the seventh Saints Row title does get a green light based on Stockman’s pitch, it’s unlikely to hit the market until the early 2030s, assuming pre-production starts in the near future. Bit Planet Games will release at least one more title in the meantime, as Stockman teased that the studio’s next project “is close to being done” and will be announced soon in a recent social media update.
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February 25, 2022
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Source: PCGamesN
