Saints Row prequel hits dead end as publisher ignores 1970s revival pitch

The prospect of a "back-to-basics" Saints Row prequel, which surfaced in late 2025, appears to have reached a terminal standstill. Chris Stockman, who's the design director behind the original 2006 title, had previously disclosed that he was approached by PLAION - an Embracer Group subsidiary - to develop a formal pitch for a new entry. 

The proposed project's primary focus was to explore the foundational years of the Third Street Saints in 1970s Stilwater, especially the origins of Julius Little and Benjamin King. At the time, fans of the game were excited to see what looked like a corrective measure to address the critical and financial underperformance of the 2022 Saints Row reboot, since it struggled to maintain a consistent tone or find a foothold with the series' core audience.

However, recent communication from Stockman via Discord (posted by @papaRPG on X) shows that internal momentum at Embracer has pretty much evaporated. Stockman also added that despite his efforts to provide a viable path forward for the IP, the parent company has ceased communication regarding the project. Stockman also stated the following:

"I get the sense that Embracer has zero ability to do anything with it."

No doubt, this is a blunt assessment that the Saints Row franchise is effectively "dead" for the foreseeable future. This update comes after a period of restructuring and studio closures within Embracer Group, including the dissolution of original developer Volition in 2023.

Remember when we got excited about the prospect of a Saints Row prequel? Well according to Saints Row 1 Design Director Chris Stockman, Embracer is completely ignoring the idea.

Saints Row is once again dead. https://t.co/cpPVcRjxwD pic.twitter.com/FWpjC6kmkT

— rpg! (@papaRPG) February 20, 2026