Volition Inc.

Volition Inc. is a developer and publisher.

Volition Inc. Webpage, Facebook

An American game studio from Champaign, Illinois, active between 1996 and 2023. Volition created games for personal computers and consoles, and its most notable works include the Red Faction and Saints Row series. From 2000 to 2013, the studio was owned by THQ, then spent nearly a decade under Deep Silver, and in August 2022 it ultimately ended up under the wing of Gearbox Entertainment. Volition closed on August 31, 2023.

History

Prehistory

The studio’s origins trace back to 1993, when developers Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog teamed up to form their own company. Before the newly founded Parallax Software could begin work on its first game, Toschlog temporarily left Boston for Champaign, Illinois, where Kulas was based and expenses were far more manageable. They rapidly expanded the team and assembled a prototype for their game - Inferno.

Apogee Software funded the project’s development for the first seven months. When the publisher withdrew its funding, the team began searching for a new partner and ultimately signed with Interplay. Once the new publisher’s support ended, Kulas and Toschlog personally financed the remainder of the project. Luckily, the shooter - later renamed Descent - launched in March 1995 to both critical acclaim and strong sales.

The studio expanded and released an updated CD version of its debut game, with improved visuals, audio, cinematics, and additional levels. It was published by Interplay Productions as Descent II and matched the success of the original.

After Parallax Software split, Volition Inc. was born.

During work on Descent II, Toschlog relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and along with a few developers, opened a second branch of Parallax Software Corporation. After the release, the founders realized that collaborating on the same projects from different locations wasn’t working as well as they’d hoped. When a shared office proved impossible, the developers opted to divide the company into two independent studios. From then on, the company managed by Toschlog was named Outrage Entertainment, while Kulas chose Volition Inc. for his team - he picked the name from a dictionary he was browsing for inspiration. The new studio officially entered the industry scene in October 1996.

Kulas’s team eagerly set to work on their new project, a space simulator titled Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War (also known simply as FreeSpace). Released for PCs in 1998, the game became a success, earning acclaim from critics and players alike. After gaining momentum, the developers began work on four more projects: FreeSpace 2, Descent 4, Tube Racer, and Summoner. Completed in a year, the first of these projects struggled under a rushed schedule from Interplay and fell short of success. Development of Tube Racer was eventually stopped.

Acquisition by THQ and the birth of Red Faction

The studio was acquired by THQ while developing its first RPG, Summoner. The game debuted on PlayStation 2 and later on PC but failed to make a big impact. Interestingly, in 2002, THQ acquired Outrage Entertainment, but Toschlog’s studio only lasted two years under its management.

Volition’s fourth project following FreeSpace 2 was Descent 4. With the third installment underperforming, publishers showed no interest, and the developers abandoned the project. Parts that were already developed were used as the foundation for a new project.

This led to the Mars-based first-person shooter Red Faction, which debuted on PC and PlayStation 2 in 2001. Praised for its environmental destruction, the game was a success, though the console version faced technical issues. Encouraged by this success, the developers returned to the RPG genre, creating Summoner 2, which was released in 2002. While it was a step up from the first game, it attracted a smaller audience. Volition Inc. still had one potential ace: Red Faction II. The studio developed the PlayStation 2 version, while Outrage Entertainment handled the PC and Xbox editions, and Cranky Pants Games took on the Nintendo GameCube port. Since Red Faction II was neither a creative nor commercial success, its creators shelved the series - and the same fate befell the Summoner franchise.

A move into the gangster world

The studio’s next project was planned to be a gangster shooter titled Underground. However, after a year of development - and especially following the release of Grand Theft Auto III - the developers realized they could not meet THQ’s expectations and ultimately decided to cancel the project. The studio then shifted focus to The Punisher, which was released on PC and consoles in 2005.

Their next project, Saints Row - clearly inspired by the recent GTA installments - proved to be a major springboard for the studio. Although the 2006 release faced a difficult development - many team members disliked its theme, and the switch from PlayStation 2 to Xbox 360 caused numerous technical issues - it ultimately achieved enough commercial success to launch a series that would become the studio’s new focus. Its sequel, simply titled Saints Row 2, was released on consoles in 2008 and on personal computers in 2009.

Kulas and his team then returned to the Red Faction franchise. Released in 2009, Red Faction: Guerrilla featured an open-world setting where players could demolish virtually every structure they encountered. Its sequel, Red Faction: Armageddon, released two years later, shifted the action to Martian tunnels - a change that was poorly received and negatively affected both the game’s ratings and sales.

The developers had little choice but to move forward with the third installment of their new flagship series. Full of absurd humor, Saints Row: The Third debuted on PC and consoles in 2011, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. Meanwhile, in December 2010, director Guillermo del Toro announced a collaboration with Volition Inc. that would result in a horror game titled Insane. Unfortunately, the production - intended to launch a trilogy - never saw the light of day, and THQ ultimately canceled the project in August 2012.

In April 2011, Mike Kulas left Volition Inc. and four years later, he and Matt Toschlog founded a new development studio, Revival Productions, which went on to create Overload, a spiritual successor to the Descent series.

Moving under the wing of Koch Media...

In December 2012, Volition Inc.’s parent company, THQ, filed for bankruptcy, leaving the studio’s future uncertain. After a bidding war, the studio was acquired by Koch Media, under its Deep Silver label, and was renamed Deep Silver Volition. While Koch Media secured the rights to the Saints Row franchise, the Red Faction and Summoner series were picked up by Nordic Games.

Under the new ownership, the team developed the fourth installment of the Saints Row series, which launched in 2013. Saints Row IV was further expanded in 2015 with Saints Row: Gat out of Hell. The studio’s next game, Agents of Mayhem, set in the same universe, launched in 2017 but fell far short of the success achieved by the Saints Row series.

...and Embracer Group

In February 2018, Koch Media was acquired by the Embracer Group. This move brought Volition Inc. and both the Red Faction and Summoner franchises back under one roof. In January 2019, founder Mike Kulas returned to Volition Inc.

Although the studio faced a wave of layoffs following the release of Agents of Mayhem, the team not only stayed afloat but also went on to develop a reboot of the Saints Row series. The game, titled Saints Row, was released in August 2022. Its performance was so disappointing that Embracer Group decided to move the studio from Deep Silver’s operations group to Gearbox. This marked the first such move in the Swedish giant’s history. The team quickly turned its attention to updates and add-ons for Saints Row. In May 2023, players received the DLC The Heist & The Hazardous, followed by Doc Ketchum's Murder Circus in July, and A Song of Ice & Dust in August.

The studio's closure

Unfortunately, Saints Row ended up being the studio’s final game. On August 31, 2023, Volition announced that it had been affected by a major restructuring carried out by Embracer Group. On the same day, Volition’s parent company announced the studio would be closed immediately.