Volition: Saints Row's 'juvenile' tone doesn't hurt sales

The "juvenile" tone of the Saints Row series does not hurt sales, but in fact is a component of the franchise's success. That's according to Volition producer Jim Boon, who told OXM that fans have spoken and they enjoy the series' irreverent nature.

"Ultimately, I don't think that Saints Row's tone gets in the way of bigger sales. If anything, I think our tone is an element of our success," Boon said. "Saints Row is quite unlike anything else out there, and I think gamers crave unique experiences--I know I do. We have a lot of passionate fans that love Saints Row, so I think we are striking the right chord."

Boon explained that past and present management have been pleased with the series tone, including that of this year's Saints Row IV, which features features a dub-step gun, aliens, and superpowers, among other new features. Boon said former THQ president Jason Rubin had no qualms with this approach and new owner Deep Silver never asked Volition to make any changes.

Boon explained that the Saints Row franchise is much like film series The Hangover, where people enjoy the humor, but would perhaps not be inclined to discuss the subject material with their parents.

"Based on the overall reception and sales of Saints Row: The Third, I strongly suspect many people enjoy this aspect of Saints Row, even if some may not want to admit feeling that way," Boon said. "Thinking of a movie series like The Hangover--people love the humor but you might not want to discuss some of the finer moments of those movies with your mom, for example."

"I think the same might be true for Saints Row," he added. "We do get an awful lot of feedback from fans telling us much they love our juvenile tone--with some asking us to go even further! Ultimately Saints Row IV doesn't try to take itself too seriously and we even have a lot of fun at our own expense."

Saints Row IV launches August 20 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A Wii U version is not happening.