
And that means not connecting with that type of humour. It was our own thinking that drove this…I think that a lot of content creators and brands are trying to expand their audience. “It wasn’t a choice where somebody on the publishing side, or somebody on the business side said, ‘You know what? Societal tastes have changed and we need to change Saints Row. In an interview with, Saints Row producer Rob Loftus offered this explanation for the team’s desire to not just reboot the franchise but to reexamine some of the themes that the franchise was built upon: Right from the start, the developers of the 2022 Saints Row reboot have been clear about their desire to target some of Saints Row‘s most offensive elements while attempting to retain some of the absurdity that helped make the rest of the franchise work. At some point, the offensive nature of the Saints Row series became one of its defining features. The series actually did get a little better in that respect as it went on (honestly, some Saints Row moments and characters are downright wholesome in their own way), but there’s a degree to which embracing the franchise at its best meant being willing to tolerate, overlook, or yes, even love the games at their worst. The Saints Row games have historically been filled with homophobia, racism, numerous instances of sexual violence towards women being played for laughs, and numerous other instances of crass content often justified in the name of parody. However, that willingness to go so far over the top and skewer absolutely everything meant that Saints Row often went way too far. There aren’t many games that start with a gang leader becoming President of the United States only to eventually acquire superpowers that they use to defeat aliens, but that’s exactly what a game like Saints Row 4 offers. To be very fair that approach also contributed to some of Saints Row‘s best moments.

You may or may not find things like dildo bats, dubstep guns, or a car repair shop called “Rim Jobs” funny, but the franchise’s willingness to really lean into that direction certainly helped it find an audience.

Generally speaking, Saints Row‘s ridiculousness has been its greatest asset. The Saints Row series has historically looked for ways to make a name for itself and stand out from the competition (most notably the GTA franchise), and that style of humor and general absurdity have long been its biggest weapons in that fight. See, the original Saints Row games ( Saints Row 1-4 and their various add-ons) famously utilzied an over-the-top, take no prisoners style of humor that has often been compared to South Park.
