Saint's Row 4's silly tone doesn't get in the way of sales, says Volition
Saint's Row 4 developer Volition believes that if anything, the series' daft tone is what makes it such a success, not the other way round. It comes as one Cliff Bleszinski suggested that the wacky nature of the games is holding them back, and for Volition to "lose the gimps and dildos".
Speaking with OXM, senior producer Jim Boon said of comments made by Bleszinski and other critics of Saint's Rows' zany antics, "Ultimately I don't think that Saint's Row's tone gets in the way of bigger sales. If anything, I think our tone is an element of our success.
"Saint's 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 SR, so I think we are striking the right chord.
"Also, I do want to mention that Jason [Rubin] was extremely supportive if SR4 and really liked what we were doing with the game. He would often offer ideas for the game, and those ideas were never suggestions about changing our tone. He was a fan of the series and loved what we were doing".
When asked if he thought fans would miss the game's wacky elements if they were removed, Boon added, "I think our fans would miss what might considered juvenile elements of previous SR games.
"Based on the overall reception and sales of SR3, I strongly suspect many people enjoy this aspect of SR, even if some may not want to admit feeling that way. 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 SR. 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 SR4 doesn't try to take itself too seriously and we even have a lot of fun at our own expense."
What do you think? Does the series' wacky elements help it stand out from the pack, or could you do without all the purple dildos and such? Let us know below, and be sure to check out our own interview with Boon here for more information on the game's development.
Saint's Row 4 hits North America from August 20 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.