‘Saints Row’ reboot release date is delayed to August 2022, but it’s not because of ‘Elden Ring’

Announcement of game delays in the era of COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet after Embracer Group confirmed that the launch of the “Saints Row” reboot had been pushed by six months. The developers, however, assured fans that the release date change is not because of “Elden Ring.”

The release date change was announced in Embracer Group’s Q2 2021 financial report published on Wednesday. Embracer did not provide specific reasons for the delay and only wrote, “In order to put the product quality first and optimize the outcome for all parties – gamers, employees, shareholders – we have decided to postpone a number of releases from FY 21/22 to FY 22/23.” Embracer, which owns Deep Silver and Volition’s parent company Koch Media, added that an unannounced AAA title was also delayed, along with the “Saints Row” reboot.

The new release date on Aug. 23, 2022, was announced by publisher Volition through the game’s official Twitter page. Volition chief creative officer Jim Boone said that if they pushed through with the original release date, the “Saints Row” reboot “wouldn’t be up to the standards” they have set and added that the developers simply need more time to fulfill their vision for the game.

Because of the delays announced in the latter part of the year, several highly anticipated AAA titles are now slated to launch in the first quarter of 2022. For one, “Elden Ring” was supposed to launch in January until developers announced last month that its release was pushed to Feb. 25, 2022. The “Saints Row” reboot was originally planned to arrive on the same day.

Following the announcement of the “Saints Row” reboot’s delay, some video game fans wondered if it was a move to avoid clashing with a much-awaited game as huge as “Elden Ring.” But developers assured fans it was not the case.

It is not strange for developers to change or scale down a game’s content whenever the release date is changed. But the developers of the “Saints Row” reboot tell fans there are no significant content changes other than “some fine tuning” and improving the polish and quality of the game.

Meanwhile, the official “Saints Row” Twitter page also teased that a new gameplay trailer will be released in a couple of weeks. Considering its timing, fans are speculating that the preview could be part of The Game Awards presentations on Thursday, Dec. 9.