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Embracer CEO talks about Saints Row’s underperformance and polarized fan reception

modiz

modiz

Member
Oct 8, 2018
17,830
Seems that despite achieving good placements on the US and UK charts, it still sounds like the results still underperformed relative to expectations for Embracer, although he still believes it will make a profit:

View: https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1572602351042854914?s=21&t=XBuDegTJ-KBRpaDTi6EePQ


View: https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1572602354003755009?s=21&t=XBuDegTJ-KBRpaDTi6EePQ


View: https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1572602356662935552?s=21&t=XBuDegTJ-KBRpaDTi6EePQ
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
the game had a great start on charts. guess the word of mouth and reviews aren't doing it any favors?
 
kurahador

kurahador

Member
Oct 28, 2017
17,520
It's crazy me that they messed up this bad when 3, 4 and Gat Out of Gell are all solid.
 
Dust

Dust

C H A O S
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Oct 25, 2017
32,156
Remember that game could have sold relatively well but the expectations could have been "lol" tier internally. Like with Square Enix.
 
PucePikmin

PucePikmin

Member
Apr 26, 2018
3,743
Your placement on the charts don't matter, it's the actual sales numbers. August had few new releases, so Saints Row nabbed a decent spot, but there was obviously a large gulf between Saints Row at #2 and Madden at #1.
 
sazz

sazz

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Aug 3, 2020
3,673
London, UK
kurahador said:
It's crazy me that they messed up this bad when 3, 4 and Gat Out of Gell are all solid.
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The game hasn't evolved at all, it's a 2012 game that released in 2022, the fact that the gameplay has arguably gotten worse since the previous installments is hilarious considering that gameplay was never a strong suit of Saints Row in my opinion, and when you combine that with some of the worst writing in recent AAA gaming you've got a disaster
 
platocplx

platocplx

2020 Member Elect
Member
Oct 30, 2017
36,072
Dust said:
Remember that game could have sold relatively well but the expectations could have been "lol" tier internally. Like with Square Enix.
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Thats what its feeling like to me, like shit is like #1 on multiple charts so wtf were they thinking like GTA related sales numbers?
 
Lashley

Lashley

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Member
Oct 25, 2017
59,914
Was obvious this would happen.

The one time the "era bubble" was correct
 
Twister

Twister

Member
Feb 11, 2019
5,072
I was really excited for this game but I saw gameplay on the week of release and it was buggy as hell. I couldn't justify paying $60 for that
 
SixelAlexiS

SixelAlexiS

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,719
Italy
Is there any news on the Saints Row 2 PC patch?
IdolNinja (rip) worked a lot to bring that patch to the fans and we didn't got any news about it, I guess for pushing SR4 instead.
At this point it would be nice to know anything about it.
 
OP
OP
modiz

modiz

Member
Oct 8, 2018
17,830
Dust said:
Remember that game could have sold relatively well but the expectations could have been "lol" tier internally. Like with Square Enix.
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platocplx said:
Thats what its feeling like to me, like shit is like #1 on multiple charts so wtf were they thinking like GTA related sales numbers?
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I don't think that was it. Embracer are usually some of the more conservative in terms of sales estimates. It sounds like it performed below previous entries, despite budgets going up.
 
doops.

doops.

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Jun 3, 2020
2,377
As someone who adored this game, it's disheartening to hear this since it's likely not gonna get a sequel now but it is what it is; that was always a risk.
 
Fisty

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,202
I think a big expansion (possibly standalone) could turn the discourse around on SR. There's obviously a good base to work from, but I think Embracer maybe underestimated how long this type of game takes to ship when you want a smoothish launch.
 
ChuckXL

ChuckXL

Banned
May 3, 2018
2,448
I think the game is fine, but lots of people see a glitch and declare it the worst thing ever. It should have released in a better state. The cultural BS is a small fraction of the issue. The state of the game at release was the issue.
 
Socivol

Socivol

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,659
Kind of surprised it did poorly considering it's NPD placement for August, which also surprised me.
 
Ripcord

Ripcord

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,773
I like the game a lot but the co-op in pc is completely broken for me and the one friend who bought it. That put my whole group off. We're waiting for fixes before we go any further.
 
Capt Sensib1e

Capt Sensib1e

Banned
Jun 4, 2022
3,357
What a downfall since Saints Row 2. A flawed game, but it was the most Bethesda stye open world game out there outside of Bethesda.

The choice between multiple voiced PCs was great and added a lot to the character.
 
MrTired

MrTired

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,229
ILikeFeet said:
the game had a great start on charts. guess the word of mouth and reviews aren't doing it any favors?
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Don't mistake chart position for selling well in the slow part of the year. But yes Reviews and word of mouth definitely had an impact considering pre-orders were head of expectations.
 
Y2Kev

Y2Kev

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Oct 25, 2017
13,835
Weren't there a bunch of news articles about how it was ahead of preorder expectations? Maybe low expectations.
 
Oddhouse

Oddhouse

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,035
I was interested in getting this pre release but after reviews decided not to.

Video reviews didn't show anything new relative to similar games, no innovation, may as well just play older games.

That coupled with cost of living crisis need to be more selective.
 
Dust

Dust

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Oct 25, 2017
32,156
modiz said:
I don't think that was it. Embracer are usually some of the more conservative in terms of sales estimates. It sounds like it performed below previous entries, despite budgets going up.
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Just saying it's a possibility. Saints Row is a decently sized IP from Embracer library, they definitely could have had bigger expectations.
 
Dan Thunder

Dan Thunder

Member
Nov 2, 2017
14,017
Was it a title that many people were excited about? I was aware that it was coming out but even now I don't know if it's a new title or a remake of an earlier one?!

On the plus side at least it sounds like they won't lose money on the title.
 
Killzig

Killzig

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,040
Lashley said:
Was obvious this would happen.

The one time the "era bubble" was correct
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I guess I doubted on this one because I never liked any of the games in the series. I thought the weak calendar and it being 'competent' enough of an open world game would see it do well enough for this series to come back.
 
The October Man

The October Man

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Oct 27, 2017
1,062
Philadelphia, PA, USA
I've enjoyed the Saints Row franchise in the past and was interested in it, but the game came off as a half-baked, buggy mess in reviews. Maybe give your devs more time if you want a stronger release?
 
Callibretto

Callibretto

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Oct 25, 2017
9,490
Indonesia
I was pretty excited for this game before release, the trailers all look like fun time. I had to ask, Is there a solid game underneath all the bugs? Or is the bad review extend beyond the bugs?
 
ciddative

ciddative

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Apr 5, 2018
4,618
To the surprise of no-one. Expectation aside, the game was a mess and will flop when the sales figures come out.
 
pbayne

pbayne

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Oct 27, 2017
8,336
Suprised since it seems to be marketed pretty heavily too. Every other youtube ad i get seems to be for it lol.
 
Kalor

Kalor

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Oct 25, 2017
19,624
If Volition get to do another one, I wonder if they try and go back to safe ground with the old characters. It's unappealing personally since 4 felt like a good stopping point but that feels like the "lower risk" entry Embracer might prefer. Depends what reasons they end up determining caused SR to fail.
 
SilverX

SilverX

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Jan 21, 2018
12,989
August game sales are always low compared to nearly every other month outside the summer time. Launching in that month as anything but #1 could still mean a flop. We all know it wasnt on Maddens tail or anything
 
Jawmuncher

Jawmuncher

Crisis Dino
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Oct 25, 2017
38,392
Ibis Island
For it being a new entry in the Saint's Row franchise after a hiatus (and it is often considered one of the better GTA "rivals"). I can understand how the reception absolutely impacted the games and its sales. I fully believe had the general reviews been better, the other elements fans might've been mad about wouldn't have mattered.

However, the game for many was missing quite a few elements they expected and all things considered. The launch itself felt muted for what should've essentially been a free win for the IP.

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I imagine it'll be profitable (if not already) but a lot of sales are going to come from sales (especially during black Friday). The game can still come out on top, after all is said and done (especially if more content and patches are planned that fix many things) but it probably won't manage to be the hugely profitable title they expected.
 
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