Saints Row delayed until August 2022

(Image credit: Deep Silver)

The Saints Row reboot has been delayed from its February 2022 release date, parent company Embracer Group announced in a financial report today. Embracer is a large holding company with Koch Media as a subsidiary; Saints Row publisher Deep Silver is a division of Koch.

No specific reason for the delay was given, aside from a vague reference to quality assurance. "In order to put the product quality first and optimize the outcome for all parties – gamers, employees, shareholders – we have decided to postpone a number of releases from FY 21/22 to FY 22/23," the document says. "This includes Saints Row and another unannounced but earlier expected AAA title in the fourth quarter."

The new launch window announced in the financial report is a vague target that could put it any time between the end of March 2022 and the beginning of April 2023. Volition chief creative officer Jim Boone later nailed the date down to August 23, 2022, however, saying that the delay was necessary because the studio "underestimated the impact that Covid would have on our schedule."

"As mentioned when we announced Saints Row in August, this will be the biggest and best Saints Row game ever and, in order to achieve our goal, we've settled upon a generous, yet essential amount of time to realize our ambitions," Boone explained. "Rest assured, there will not be any changes to the story or the characters or anything that we've lovingly imagined over the last few years and already shared with you."

The full Embracer Group financial report also reveals that its subsidiaries—including Koch Media, THQ Nordic and more—will release 25 "AAA" games before March 2026, including Saints Row. In May 2020 Embracer had 118 games in total under development (not just "AAA" games), and these are likely to include Gearbox games, that new TimeSplitters game, and possibly Dead Island 2, if it ever releases at all.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.