The studio behind the Saints Row series, Volition, has confirmed in a statement that it has ceased operation with immediate effect, just a couple of months after celebrating its 30th birthday.

Volition has been struggling since the launch of the Saints Row reboot a year ago, which was met with generally negative reviews from players and critics alike. I personally thought there were some good elements to enjoy, but dated graphics, buggy gameplay and a mediocre plot led to poor sales performance. Since then, the studio has been transferred from its parent studio, Deep Silver, to Gearbox, an unusual move that saw Embracer Group transfer the studio between two of its operating units.

"This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the videogame industry," the studio stated. "As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition immediately."

A letter to our community. pic.twitter.com/vtFM7szLbN

— Volition (@DSVolition) September 1, 2023

The statement confirms that employees are being provided with job assistance to "help smooth the transition for our Volition family members", before thanking players for their loyalty over the past 30 years. The studio was originally known as Parallax Software when it was founded back in 1993, and made immediate waves with memorable IPs including Descent, Freespace and Red Faction.

Saints Row is perhaps the series the studio is best known for, leading them to be acquired by THQ back in 2000, before eventually ending up as part of Deep Silver.

In a final message on Twitter / X, the studio thanked it's employees and fans for their loyalty, adding that "we've loved your enthusiasm every step of the way, even those times when you wish we had (or hadn't!) gone a certain way with a Saints Row or a Red Faction or Descent. You are why we kept making these games, and those of us that have been part of the Volition family will be eternally grateful."

It seems likely that Volition's IP, including the Saints Row franchise, will live on and be transferred to other studios within the Embracer Group.