The last year has been great for Saints Row fans with the release of Saints Row: The Third Remastered, and the Re-Elected edition of Saints Row IV for the Nintendo Switch. Maybe the reason that these games are receiving extra attention, paired with Deep Silver's appearance at the upcoming digital E3 event, could mean that fans will be getting news about an upcoming Saints Row title. The occasional rumor and leak about the new game have come out, but nothing concrete or provable has surfaced yet. However, 2021 may be the year that Saints Row fans finally get their hopes awarded with the long-awaited news on Saints Row 5.
In an April 6 press release, E3 2021 announced that the video game showcase would be returning in a new virtual way that's accessible to all. Among the confirmed partners to attend will be Koch Media, the owner of Deep Silver and the Saints Row series. E3 is partnering with Koch Media, amongst a bunch of other developers, to create unprecedented access to the convention, while still allowing the game creators to make announcements. Since it wasn't able to create a faithful convention last year, E3 has doubled down this year on its efforts on the biggest announcements and reveals in the video game industry, fanfare and all.
Saints Row Leaks
Except for the remasters and ports, fans haven't gotten anything new from Deep Silver since Saints Row: Gat out of Hell in 2015. There have been rumors that there was a Saints Row game that has been well in-development, but nothing has been announced. There was a rumor going around that Saints Row 5 would be a sequel to The Third, seemingly retconning the fourth game, but that was debunked on Twitter by Alex Q. Ryan, PR manager for Deep Silver. If Saints Row: The Third Remastered is any indication of what Saints Row 5 can look like, it'll be a beautiful open world that is more faithful to the series past.
THQ Nordic, who owns Koch Media, has let it be known in a press release that it planned to publish two AAA games before the end of 2021. It's very likely that the game will seek to be a soft reboot of the series that goes off the rails like previous games, but not into space like Saints Row 4. That being said, it could keep the killer weapons, customization, and humor, but it has to stay faithful to the Saints organization.
E3 Announcement
Little has been revealed about what the upcoming all-inclusive E3 showcase will be. Maybe it will be a virtual convention held in a digital space, or a completely remote stream of normal E3 showcases. Whatever form the gaming convention takes this year, it will hold some kind of announcement from Koch Media. There's no evidence that it will be a Saints Row game, but it's been six years since the release of Gat out of Hell, and the next title has been in development since 2017, according to rumors. The timing would add up, and given how affected everything was in 2020, it would make this years virtual expo the perfect opportunity for Saints Row 5.
There might not be any announcement about Saints Row 5 at all, and Koch Media may be dipping its toes in a new IP. It's also the company behind Dead Island, Homefront, and Metro as well. Koch Media could just as easily announce new games for any of these titles, including the long-awaited Dead Island 2. Fans only learned definitively that a new Saints Row was in development near the end of 2019, and Deep Silver will want to make sure it does the game right after Saints Row 4 didn't strike the same chord as previous entries.
Saints Row 5 is currently in development for unknown platforms.