They say pressure makes diamonds, but in reality, nobody likes a deadline. The nagging reminder gnawing at the back of your brain, always there to let you know how little time you have left to finish a whole lot of work. The developers over at Volition feel the same way, especially with regards to Saints Row 4, so much so that they'll be leaving the game on current generation systems only.
As we've watched Saints Row 4 develop over time, all while Sony and Microsoft finally announced the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One respectively, Volition never bothered to indulge in the idea that the sandbox gangsta's paradise would be hitting either new system. Recently, Volition's Senior Producer Jim Boone just why that is to IGN.
We've all had something happen in our lives that make a mark on us. For Boone and Volition, it was the RPG launch title for the PlayStation 2, Summoner. It was a long time ago, but still stands out in Boone's mind. As he describes, "...it was hard. We were able to do it but it was brutal. There were things we had to rush as we just didn't have time to polish."
The experience stuck with him as he and the rest of the staff launched into the new Saints Row. "We'd learnt from our past and weren't about to pump the game out and cut corners," he said. "That's why with Saint's Row IV we didn't want to do the thing we did with Summoner. Saints Row 1 was the blueprint: doing what's right for the game rather than rushing to get something out."
Though, it's not to say that the idea of making the game for next-gen systems never entered into his mind. "We'd been working on [Saint's Row 4] for a little while and hearing the rumours about the timeline the new consoles might come out, but we didn't know for sure," he said. "The big thing for us was, we wanted to make sure we had time to do the game right."
Fair enough Boone. As another old adage goes, "better safe than sorry."
Saints Row IV sees players who have gone from taking control of the streets to now ruling the entire country as the Commander in Chief. Instead of common gangsters, players now must fend off an alien invasion with little more than a wide range of presidential super powers. Easily the most realistic premise in gaming.
The game is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on August 20.
