The developer behind Saint’s Row 4 has defended the series’ over-the-top nature, insisting it doesn’t come at a detriment to sales.
In fact, the Saint’s Row barmy boiling pot of oversized sex toys and purple gorilla suits is exactly why the franchise has become such a hit with consumers, says Volition.
The comments come after former Gears of War bigwig Cliff Bleszinski suggesting the games “lose the gimps and dildos” in order for it to topple fellow open-world behemoth Grand Theft Auto.
“Ultimately I don’t think that Saint’s Row’s tone gets in the way of bigger sales. If anything, I think our tone is an element of our success,” said Volition’s Jim Boon, during a chat with OXM.
“Saint’s Row is quite unlike anything else out there, and I think gamers crave unique experiences – I know I do. We have a lot of passionate fans that love SR, so I think we are striking the right chord.
“Also, I do want to mention that Jason [Rubin] was extremely supportive if SR4 and really liked what we were doing with the game. He would often offer ideas for the game, and those ideas were never suggestions about changing our tone. He was a fan of the series and loved what we were doing”.
Boon went on to suggest that fans would likely miss Saint’s Row’s crazy aspects if they were to be removed.
“I think our fans would miss what might considered juvenile elements of previous SR games,” he said.
“Based on the overall reception and sales of SR3, I strongly suspect many people enjoy this aspect of SR, even if some may not want to admit feeling that way. Thinking of a movie series like The Hangover – people love the humor but you might not want to discuss some of the finer moments of those movies with your mom, for example.
“I think the same might be true for SR. We do get an awful lot of feedback from fans telling us much they love our juvenile tone – with some asking us to go even further! Ultimately SR4 doesn’t try to take itself too seriously and we even have a lot of fun at our own expense.”
Saint’s Row IV is currently in development and is pencilled in for release on August 23 for PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360.
via VG247