Volition, the studio behind the Saints Row and Red Faction series, has been closed.
On X, Ryan T. Brown shared a report that the staff at Volition have been hit with mass layoffs, as their parent company, Embracer, has shuttered the studio. Ryan Hoss, who was a VFX Artist at Volition, also shared on X that he lost his job and that the studio has been closed. Around the time of those tweets, Volition posted an update on its LinkedIn profile confirming the news.
Volition staff on Twitter are reporting that parent company Embracer has just closed the 30-year-old studio behind Saint's Row and Red Faction, with mass layoffs #VolitionJobs pic.twitter.com/cCgDa20dfM
— Ryan T. Brown 🎮 (@Toadsanime) August 31, 2023
I have been affected by today's full studio closure of Volition. So proud of the work me and my team did during my 7 years there.
Having said that, I'm looking for a new position as a senior/lead VFX artist or art manager. Any leads would be appreciated. #gamedev #volitionjobs
— Ryan Hoss (@smb_ryan) August 31, 2023
Volition Games is closing, effective immediately https://t.co/Dob9NBW7He pic.twitter.com/5dr7zbHcgA
— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 31, 2023
The post reads, “The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We’ve been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.” The post went on to say that in June, Embracer announced restructuring, which resulted in Volition’s closure effective immediately.
Originally part of Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog’s Parallax Software, Volition was founded in 1993. Over the decades, the studio had become known for such beloved franchise as Saints Row and Red Faction. The team also developed one my personal favorite forgotten classics, Summoner, which released on the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Hearing news of such a storied studio’s closing is absolutely heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the closure. Currently, the hashtag #VolitonJobs is being posted on X to help those who were laid off find new work.
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