Ep.157 – The Stillwater Gang: How Volition Created Saints Row and Redefined Open-World Chaos
A Trip Down Memory Card Lane · David Kassin and Robert Kassin
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Show Notes
In 2006, Volition released Saints Row, an open-world action game born from a canceled project and a wild design pitch. In this episode, we trace the studio’s history from its Descent and FreeSpace days under Interplay to its rebirth as a creative powerhouse under THQ. We explore the evolution of Volition’s canceled projects, its switch from PS2 to Xbox 360, and the risky decision to enter the gangland genre dominated by Grand Theft Auto. Our discussion highlights the development challenges, the features that Saints Row pioneered like GPS navigation and player customization, and the creative rules Volition imposed to avoid controversy. Join us as we recruit our crew, cause chaos in Stillwater, and look back at how Saints Row carved out its own identity on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.