Volition’s Saints Row series, and particularly its tongue in cheek tone, has been a somewhat heated topic.
The series that famously featured a purple dildo, has been critisised by some for its tone, but others have praised its offbeat offerings. Former Gears of War director, Cliff Bleszinski was one to critisise previously claiming that the series should, “keep the crazy action and game mechanics. Lose the dildos…”
“If your average guy is embarrassed to be playing a sequence in a game when his wife walks in that’s a bad sign… The SR team is amazing.
“Dildo holds them back. It’s immature. Make an open world game that’s more Michael Mann/HEAT/Collateral/Training Day,” he explained.
Volition Inc has since been acquired by Koch Media after the former publisher THQ closed its doors earlier this year. Koch Media secured Saints Row, and if Volition senior producer Jim Boon’s latest comments are anything to go by, it does not look like the Saints Row series is about to drop the humour.
Defending the series risque humour, Boon suggests that the tone is similar to films like The Hangover and it actually helps sales.
“Ultimately I don’t think that Saint Row’s tone gets in the way of bigger sales,” Boon told OXM [via GamesIndustry].
“If anything, I think our tone is an element of our success. Saints 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 Saints Row, so I think we are striking the right chord.
“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.”
