Saints Row games typically get re-released a lot. Despite some problems, even Saints Row: The Third is coming out yet again today for current systems. And while the latter two full entries have been remastered a few times, don’t expect the same model to apply to the first two games in the series. According to publisher Deep Silver, it is “not in [its] plans” to make Saints Row Remastered or Saints Row 2 Remastered.
Don’t anticipate any Saints Row 1 or 2 remasters
its not in our plans
— Deep Silver (@deepsilver) May 25, 2021
Deep Silver tweeted this news to someone on its Twitter account who was demanding a remaster of those first two open-world games. The publisher simply replied that putting those games out again is not in the cards and moved on from the topic.
The first Saints Row released in 2006 and was a fairly straightforward open-world crime game that continually drew comparisons to Grand Theft Auto. The sequel, Saints Row 2, came out in 2008 and retained some of that serious DNA, but also began to lean into its goofy side a little more.
Both were relatively well-respected games in their time, but the series didn’t take off until Saints Row: The Third in 2011. This third entry is where the series fully embraced its lunacy with dildo bats, auto-tuned pimps, jacking into the matrix, and more wacky antics. Such acclaim meant multiple re-releases in addition to its original release: the Full Package bundle with the DLC, the PS4 and Xbox One remasters, the Switch port, and then the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S remasters.
Saints Row 4 had more than a few re-releases as well. The game originally came out in 2013 before getting a Game of the Century bundle, a PS4 and Xbox One remaster, and a Switch port. The game has not yet come natively to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Given how many platforms the last two numbered installments have been on, it’s puzzling why the first two have not been given a similar treatment. They might require more work since they are significantly older.
It also requires work to actually play them since that isn’t easy either. The first game only came out on the Xbox 360 and while the sequel did also make its way onto the PS3 and PC, it wasn’t a perfect translation. While the PS3 port just seemed to lack trophy support, the PC version was far more troubled as it had many performance issues and never got any of the DLC.
It appears as though Deep Silver just wants to remember Saints Row from 2011 onwards. And given this selective history, it’s probable that the next game in the series (which THQ Nordic confirmed in 2019) will retain more aspects from those oft-released titles over the first and second installments. Some rumors, which have been picked up by PlayStation Lifestyle, claim that this game will be more tonally close to the first three games, but the game has yet to be formally shown to confirm or debunk these alleged leaks.
