By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept

Epic Game Journey

Premier Destination For All Things PC Gaming

  • Home
  • News
  • Hardware
  • Upcoming
  • Industry
  • Blog
Reading: Space Marine 2 CEO puts the boot into the Saints Row team's twitching corpse from his private jet: 'Who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?'

Epic Game Journey

Premier Destination For All Things PC Gaming

  • Home
  • News
  • Hardware
  • Upcoming
  • Industry
  • Blog
Epic Game Journey > Industry > Space Marine 2 CEO puts the boot into the Saints Row team's twitching corpse from his private jet: 'Who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?'
Industry

Space Marine 2 CEO puts the boot into the Saints Row team's twitching corpse from his private jet: 'Who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?'

March 18, 2025 6 Min Read
6 Min Read
Image for Space Marine 2 CEO puts the boot into the Saints Row team's twitching corpse from his private jet: 'Who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?'

Name me gentle, however I am nonetheless unhappy concerning the sudden, undignified dying of Volition, the 30-year-old Saints Row studio that received executed by the Embracer Group after the latter’s $2-billion thriller deal—pitched as a “groundbreaking strategic partnership”—collapsed on the final minute.

With Embracer scrambling to remain afloat and Volition’s ultimate sport, a rebooted Saints Row, assembly a lukewarm crucial and industrial response, the writing was on the wall for the developer that additionally made Crimson Faction and Descent again within the day.

It was a tragic and surprising flip of occasions for such a storied studio. That’s, until you are Saber Interactive CEO—and former Embracer Group interim chief working officer—Matthew Karch, who lately took the chance to place the boot into the dearly departed studio in a chat with Sport File, held on Karch’s personal jet.

“The Saints Row workforce is gone,” mentioned Karch. “They had been so costly for what they had been. They did not know what they had been constructing. They did not have any actual path. It could not final. And so, who’s going to fund them for the subsequent sport after that catastrophe?”

Which is, let’s assume, an unsentimental evaluation, however within the chilly clear gentle of day I am unable to fault Karch’s logic. Volition’s ultimate three video games earlier than it went to a farm upstate had been Gat Out of Hell (co-developed with Excessive Voltage), Brokers of Mayhem, and the rebooted Saints Row. None of them met with crucial or industrial success, and a storied legacy doesn’t suggest a lot to firm bosses and shareholders who’re getting bored with throwing good cash after unhealthy.

See also  Facebook users say they've caught the app analyzing their camera roll with Meta AI⁠ without their knowledge—here's how to make sure it doesn't happen

However Karch goes on. “It might be good in a really perfect world for everybody to have a job,” says the CEO, however “the times of throwing cash at video games aside from possibly the GTAs of the world is over.” As a substitute, Karch reckons we’re in a time that requires ruthless effectivity: “This enterprise must mature. If it does not, the entire enterprise is in bother. Sadly, which means layoffs.”

Which definitely seems like hardheaded enterprise man discuss, however I am unable to assist however observe that Karch’s even handed, unromantic cost-cutting solely appears to increase to individuals who make lots lower than he and his fellow C-suite execs do.

With regards to the devs at Volition, Karch is able to swing the axe. With regards to Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors, who wager a lot of the long run on that $2-billion deal that finally collapsed (and which Karch confirms was with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Video games Group after years of silence from Embracer itself), Karch is fast to spring to his defence: “They made errors. Lars is a really, very trusting particular person. He is a superb particular person… when [the Saudi deal] did not get carried out, he fell on the sword in such a tough means.” Wingefors stays CEO of Embracer. Volition is gone for good.

When Sport File’s Stephen Totilo requested Karch if, maybe, some high-level heads ought to have rolled at Embracer, the CEO was nonplussed. “There are not any bosses. That’s the issue. Embracer had no construction. So how are they going to have bosses? … No person was getting wealthy at Embracer. I imply, individuals had inventory. Nevertheless it’s not like anybody was taking massive money funds… There was no one, like, ‘Oh, the studio head is making eight million and he simply fired 10 individuals who had been making 100 thousand {dollars}.'”

See also  The most promising Disco Elysium successor studio says workers must unite to topple Valve's 'digital fiefdom' of Steam

It is value noting that this quote was delivered on Karch’s personal personal jet, flown by Lars Wingefors’ former pilot. You’ll be able to see a photograph of Karch grinning in entrance of it within the authentic piece.

So, maybe it’s the case that robust choices needed to be made about Volition; the studio hadn’t made a fantastic sport in a very long time and, a minimum of till the revolution, that is an business the place you do must make a revenue with a view to survive.

However Karch’s statements seem to be a first-rate instance of the form of government doublethink that so many people who do not make 6-figure salaries discover so distasteful and unfair: when somebody has to pay for a botched $2-billion deal, the C-suite is all too keen to make the exhausting decisions that price devs their livelihoods. However when somebody suggests possibly the bosses who arrange these offers would possibly face a consequence or two? Properly, no, that is simply not how this works.

You Might Also Like

Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson has started a new game studio: 'I wanted to be creative in a way that didn't involve being a CEO of a 200 person company'

'AI is no longer optional': Microsoft is allegedly pressuring employees to use AI tools through manager evaluations

Facebook users say they've caught the app analyzing their camera roll with Meta AI⁠ without their knowledge—here's how to make sure it doesn't happen

Don't want to switch to Windows 11? There is one last way to stick with Windows 10 a little longer

This month 25 years ago in PC gaming, our biggest concerns were pro gaming, moral panics about violent games… and we still thought Halo was a PC exclusive

TAGGED: Industry
- Advertisement -
ad banner

Latest News

What does the Peak Cursed Skull do?
What does the Peak Cursed Skull do?
Guides July 1, 2025
Game Pass_July 2025_Wave 1
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, Little Nightmares 2, and More Headline First Wave of Game Pass in July
News July 1, 2025
Save a massive $89.99 in this remarkable Nacon wireless gaming headset deal
Save a massive $89.99 in this remarkable Nacon wireless gaming headset deal
Hardware July 1, 2025
The Witcher 4 Won’t Have Fetch Quests, Assures Narrative Director
The Witcher 4 – CD Projekt RED Reiterates That Tech Demo Doesn’t Represent the Game
Upcoming July 1, 2025
the outer worlds 2
The Outer Worlds 2 Will Allow Players to Define Their Play Style Through Their Character Builds
News July 1, 2025
Resident Evil Requiem_02
Resident Evil Requiem – 10 New Things You Must Know
News July 1, 2025
Chris Wilson, co-creator of Path of Exile and founder of Light Pattern.
Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson has started a new game studio: 'I wanted to be creative in a way that didn't involve being a CEO of a 200 person company'
Industry July 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Chris Wilson, co-creator of Path of Exile and founder of Light Pattern.
Industry

Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson has started a new game studio: 'I wanted to be creative in a way that didn't involve being a CEO of a 200 person company'

July 1, 2025
Microsoft campus
Industry

'AI is no longer optional': Microsoft is allegedly pressuring employees to use AI tools through manager evaluations

June 30, 2025
CHONGQING, CHINA - OCTOBER 30: In this photo illustration - The Facebook app page is displayed on a smartphone in the Apple App Store in front of the Meta Platforms, inc. logo on October 30, 2024 in Chongqing, China. (Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
Industry

Facebook users say they've caught the app analyzing their camera roll with Meta AI⁠ without their knowledge—here's how to make sure it doesn't happen

June 30, 2025
Microsoft Windows Event
Industry

Don't want to switch to Windows 11? There is one last way to stick with Windows 10 a little longer

June 29, 2025

Welcome to Epic Game Journey, your premier destination for all things PC gaming! We are a dedicated team of passionate gamers and industry enthusiasts committed to bringing you the latest and most exciting news from the world of PC games.

Latest News

Intel is “selling defective CPUs” says game dev in brutal smackdown
Intel’s newest CPU has just two cores, but we actually want to try it
Save up to $200 on this powerful Intel mini gaming PC
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 power figures just leaked, might still melt

Editor Choice

Baldur’s Gate 3 – Patch 7 Improves Multiplayer Party Banter, Fixes All Origin Characters
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 benchmark test – this budget gaming GPU needs more VRAM
Code Violet Gameplay Showcases Combat, Dinos, and More
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Has Gone Gold
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Reading: Space Marine 2 CEO puts the boot into the Saints Row team's twitching corpse from his private jet: 'Who's going to fund them for the next game after that disaster?'
© 2024 All Rights reserved | Powered by Epic Game Journey
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?