Volition: Three More ‘Open World’ Games in Development

Saints Row has barely hit the shelves, but developer Volition is already hard at work creating more games in what’s possibly the most promising genre for next-gen consoles – “Open World” (a.k.a. non-linear) games.

In an interview, producer Jacques Hennequet said, “We have some pretty exciting stuff planned for open world. No one’s going to be able to say it’s a clone this time”. According to Hennequet, two of these games are already in early development, with the third one following up after a short break.

It’s pretty likely that one of those games will again carry the Saints Row name, but what about the other ones? Looking at Volition’s history, it’s easy to forget some of their earlier games – Descent: Freespace, Summoner, and their respective sequels.

Freespace has been regarded as a cult classic by gamers ever since its release, and while full-blown space operas are anything but popular right now, a third Freespace game would suit the “Open World” theme perfectly – and make many fans waiting for a sequel happy. The same goes for Summoner, an action RPG released for the PC and PS2 in 2000. Resurrecting older franchises with the power of the next-gen era could be a great way to attract the gamers of today, as well as the old fans. But let’s not hope for an avalanche of sequels. When Hennequet says that “No one’s going to be able to say it’s a clone this time”, he’s hopefully talking about a completely new IP, something next-gen consoles are still lacking on.

Of course, we’ll keep you updated as new details are revealed about Volition’s upcoming games.

Saints Row has barely hit the shelves, but developer Volition is already hard at work creating more games in what’s possibly the most promising genre for next-gen consoles – “Open World” (a.k.a. non-linear) games.

In an interview, producer Jacques Hennequet said, “We have some pretty exciting stuff planned for open world. No one’s going to be able to say it’s a clone this time”. According to Hennequet, two of these games are already in early development, with the third one following up after a short break.

It’s pretty likely that one of those games will again carry the Saints Row name, but what about the other ones? Looking at Volition’s history, it’s easy to forget some of their earlier games – Descent: Freespace, Summoner, and their respective sequels.

Freespace has been regarded as a cult classic by gamers ever since its release, and while full-blown space operas are anything but popular right now, a third Freespace game would suit the “Open World” theme perfectly – and make many fans waiting for a sequel happy. The same goes for Summoner, an action RPG released for the PC and PS2 in 2000. Resurrecting older franchises with the power of the next-gen era could be a great way to attract the gamers of today, as well as the old fans. But let’s not hope for an avalanche of sequels. When Hennequet says that “No one’s going to be able to say it’s a clone this time”, he’s hopefully talking about a completely new IP, something next-gen consoles are still lacking on.

Of course, we’ll keep you updated as new details are revealed about Volition’s upcoming games.