The long-awaited Saints Row reboot was finally unveiled during the Opening Night of Gamescom 2021, and almost immediately after was met with swift fan backlash. These complaints ranged from that characters looking like ‘Hipsters’ and the game pandering to new sensibilities, all the way to the lack of purple, a fleur-de-lis, and Johnny Gat.
On youtube, the official reveals a trailer posted by Saints Row with 16 thousand likes versus a whopping 22 thousand dislikes. It should however be noted that a new deep-dive video entitled “SAINTS ROW Welcome to Santo Iielso Trailer” is currently doing the opposite since you know, the first trailer was cinematic…
But if people were under the impression that Volition, the developers behind the game would buckle to fan opinion it looks like that is not the case. On Twitter, the official Saints Row account has been responding to some of the more critical messages, informing fans they have no plans to back down.
We are not backing down on this game. We get it, it’s new and it’s a shock reaction to a reboot like no other. The gif was supposed to convey that.
— Saints Row – OUT NOW! (@SaintsRow) August 26, 2021
The account has responded to multiple disappointed fans with comments ranging from simply stating they will not back down, to more cheeky responses. When one fan accused them of swapping their art style to something akin to Fortnite, they responded with “We don’t think you know what Fortnite looks like but you do you.”
Doing a reboot like no one has ever done a reboot before… pretty Saints Row if you ask us 🤔
— Saints Row – OUT NOW! (@SaintsRow) August 26, 2021
During these exchanges, we have also gotten some tidbits of information that, honestly, should not have had to be explained but here we are. When asked about the lack of purple in the trailer they stated it was because “Because at the start of this game you’re not a Saint yet.” The reboot also features customizable cars, and what they refer to as “better” character customization.
Obviously, the company was probably prepared for some kind of pushback when it came to the game. With any major switch in direction, such as art, or tone you will always see longtime fans not ready for any form of change. The Final Fantasy series has also been a victim of this as it transitioned to more real-time combat over its turn-based roots.
I would remind people they have showed very little of the game to this point, and with a release date of February 25, 2022, there is still plenty more to be seen.
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