Former Volition dev confirms a pitch for Saints Row prequel ‘Saints Row 0’ is in the works
In the landscape of GTA clones, one series stood out with its over-the-top, chaotic open-world gameplay. Design director Chris Stockman for 2006’s Saints Row by Volition has revealed that he’s been asked to prep a pitch for a Saints Row prequel by Embracer Group, signaling that the franchise will return to its somewhat grounded roots with “Saints Row 0.”
Stockman left Volition shortly after the game’s release and went on to establish his own independent studio, Bit Planet Games, in 2014. The studio is known for its VR titles, including Ultrawings. On the official Saints Row subreddit, r/SaintsRow, Stockman published a post, stating:
Guys and Gals, I have hopeful news! I’ve been asked to create a pitch for a Saints Row reboot. I can’t say anything more than that, but my dreams for this game just became a little more than just dreams.” Later, he clarified that he’s specifically been asked to pitch a “prequel.
The pitch dates back to when Stockman floated some ideas in a mid-October interview with Esports Insider, where he criticized the 2022 Saints Row reboot and called it “a terrible idea” that scrapped beloved characters like Ben King and Julius, turning it into “not Saints Row at all.”
In the interview, he pleaded with Embracer Group, the company that currently owns the Saints Row IP via its Plaion division, formerly known as Deep Silver, to “contact me, let’s go. I can bring many of the old band members together who worked on Saints Row 1. I could turn that IP around with a decent budget.”
What he envisions is a game set in the 1970s that explores the beginnings of the gangs from Saints Row 1, including the Vice Kings, a crew of teenagers who grew up to become the franchise's protagonists, complete with huge afros and 70s-era music.
The Esports Insider interview garnered a bit of traction, bolstering Stockman’s confidence to consistently approach Embracer, and to his surprise, required a formal pitch.
Stockman sat down with PCGamesN and stated:
“There is interest. A pitch has been requested. I want to bring the Saints Row franchise back to its roots. As you know, I directed Saints Row 1, and I feel the series has strayed way too far from that.
I completely understand why they went that way, but in the end, they kind of painted themselves into a corner they couldn’t get out of. I am attempting to get the band back together. If this works, this will be an amazing story. I hope it works!”
Beyond this, he hasn’t revealed further details, stating that he’s keeping them “close to my chest, for now.” For now, all we know is that the project is being called “Saints Row 0” in some circles.
While Embracer Group has shown interest in the project, it still remains in an early pitch stage, and even if Stockman is given the go-ahead, we won’t be seeing Saints Row 0 any time soon. Not until at least 2030.
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