In the genre of open-world, fast-paced, high-octane crime simulations with a ton of content and a dedicated fan-base, there are basically two options: Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row. While the former is arguably the most successful from a commercial standpoint, there are perhaps some things that Volition's game does better than GTA. With gamers waiting patiently for the next installment in the series, it seems as though the next Saints Row is going to be quite special.
In an impassioned post uploaded to Steam yesterday, the community developer for Saints Row has made it certain that the next title is "absolutely going to blow the roof off." The CM, who goes by the alias IdolNinja but who's real name is Michael Watson, announced that he was stepping down from the role due to a serious illness, which left an emotional imprint on the rest of the community who have expressed sadness at the news, but who have thanked Watson for his hard work and dedication.
As many may already be aware, a new Saints Row game was announced late last year, with rumors that it could potentially be a soft reboot with the possibility of it being released in March just gone. However, currently the game is still in development with no word from Volition or Deep Silver as to when it will be released. A leak speculates that the story for the fifth game will follow on from Saints Row: The Third but, again, there is no official confirmation of that yet.
Sadly, it also appears that Deep Silver games including Saints Row and Dead Island will not be at this year's E3 event. This means that fans won't get to hear more word about the new title or when a release can be expected. Not only will there be no appearance at E3, but the statement from the publisher also confirmed that they wouldn't appear at any other events, including yesterday's Summer Game Fest.
That said, what IdolNinja has hinted at in his message on Steam is that fans can expect something special in Saints Row 5 even though he, and likely many in the fan base as well, will be devastated that he won't get to experience the next installment. Saints Row is something of a gem to many in the gaming community, with the fourth game being counted by Elon Musk as one of his favorites. Though the news of Michael stepping down for health reasons is deeply sad, he expresses that he is "beyond proud" to have been a part of the experience.
Saints Row 5 is currently in development.
Source: Steam