Leak suggests Saints Row 2022 could have been the game fans dreamed about

2022's Saints Row reboot was a massive disappointment to both longtime fans and newcomers to the open-world crime franchise from the now-defunct developer, Volition. But what if the game had turned out as players had hoped? A new leak suggests that was going to be the case. Insider mrsaintsgodzilla21 took to YouTube to discuss how the project was originally not meant to be how it turned out.

To put it simply, this "reboot" was originally going to be a true-blue throwback to the franchises' roots before things pivoted downhill. Read on to know the full details.

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Saints Row 2022 was originally going to be just like the older entries

Mrsaintsgodzilla21: Saints Row 5/Reboot originally was supposed to feature the OG Saints byu/Sad-Hat-3530 inGamingLeaksAndRumours

The latest entry in the sandbox third-person shooter series was aiming for a back-to-roots mantra. This means that during a good portion of the game's development. It was intended to tonally take after Saints Row 2 for the most part, with some of Saints Row The Third's goofy nature thrown in for good measure.

Fan favorites like Johnny Gat, Shaundi, and more were set to make an appearance in this game. That is, in fact, what the community had been clamoring for forever. Unfortunately, that vision never came to be.

From internal design clashes and story overhauls to publisher interference demanding a new vision, the final product was a hodgepodge of a mess that failed to capture anything and everything that had made the franchise so beloved. It had a forgettable cast of characters, shallow writing, and underwhelming mechanics and design decisions.

For context, developer Volition was the creator of the underrated GTA clone "Saints Row". The series had enjoyed a niche right up until 2022's reboot, which threw established and beloved characters — as well as themes and concepts — out of the window for something wholly new. This new direction was disliked by everyone, with many fans coming to hate the studio for its decisions.

Even if this project was a failure, perhaps the team could have tried again to appeal to fans and gain back the goodwill. However, the studio will no longer get a second chance as it was dissolved earlier this year by the parent company Embracer Group. With the IP now under Plaion (originally Koch Media), it remains to be seen where things go from here.