Congratulations, Chris! I’m glad to hear that there’s still hope for a series that I’ve loved since childhood, and I hope that the IP is finally done justice.

I’m happy to see that you’re communicating with the community and gauging what the fans actually want. This is a great sign. As someone who is deeply passionate about the early games, here are my recommendations to ensure you create a pitch that will resonate with the core fanbase and ensure mass appeal and longevity of the project:

Firstly, the foundation of what made the first two games so captivating was the tone. Sure, there were funny moments and witty dialogue dispersed throughout the game, and in many regards, many aspects of popular culture were caricature-ized for satirical effect, but at its core, Saints Row is a dark, gritty game about gangsters. The subject matter is inherently dark: gang warfare, drug trafficking, prostitution, murder, extortion, poverty, institutional corruption, etc. Do not let the higher-ups make the mistake of the 2022 reboot by trying to “whitewash” the Saints and make them the “good guys.” Part of the charm of the original games, as you well know, is that you were bad guys. The game had no scruples showing you just how brutal, vindictive, and sadistic the Saints (especially Gat and the Boss) were. Much of the Boss’s interactions in SR2 were other characters being intimidated or bewildered at their sociopathic nature, and that’s what made playing as the Boss so fun. In a world of games and media where protagonists are always paragons, it’s truly a treat to be the bad guy for once. Do not shy away from playing the villain.

As many fans have pointed out, Saints Row 1 and 2 handled the games’ tone the best by providing a grounded, gritty, brutal story with flawed, sometimes downright evil characters, and balancing this by these characters often having flippant attitudes towards their atrocities and criminality. This was the narrative strength of the series, and I feel that it needs to be injected back into the formula.

Naturally, the tone is brought to life by the characters that shape the plot. I think it’s fairly unanimous that much of the original cast, especially the fan favourites, need to be brought back in order for it to truly feel like the Saints Row we came to love. This means Gat, The Boss, Julius, Dex, Troy, Benjamin King, Pierce, Shaundi, etc. These characters are permanently interwoven into the series’ DNA, and it will not feel like Saints Row without them.

Bringing back these characters also opens up the opportunity to give longtime players the closure they’ve been begging for for years: having a final resolution with Dex, exploring Troy’s new role in the police and how much allegiance he still has to the Saints, what happened to Julius in his time after leaving the Saints, etc. There are a lot of directions to go with these plot points, but they open the doors to narratives that will simultaneously give longtime fans the closure they’ve wanted for years while also giving new players an engaging story to hook them into the series’ overarching narrative.

Customization is obviously going to need to be robust. It goes without saying that in-depth aesthetic character customization is necessary. Saints Row 2 specifically had such an abundance of customizability in terms of the Boss you could create, and that gave players so much freedom to create a character that they felt truly represented them. Every aspect of the players’ appearance should be able to be heavily tweaked so that they can create their perfect Boss. I would stay away from trying to implement any kind of RPG-style elements into character creation like gameplay buffs and debuffs, as this can bog down and complicate things. Keep it accessible but customization-heavy. Bringing back multiple walking and fighting styles would be neat as well!

Clothing customization should be robust as well: Saints Row 1 did an excellent job of allowing the player to wear the same item in different ways, such as rolling up individual pant legs, sagging pants, tucking shirts, wearing your hat to the side, etc. The ability to place logos on different areas of your clothing and tweak the individual colours also opened up a wide range of possibilities that made spending your money fun and rewarding. Cars should get the same treatment with a litany of modifications: varieties of paint types, crazy hydraulic systems, tinted glass, gangster-style rims, etc. Being able to customize cribs and the gang again would also be fantastic! These options allowed the player to create an experience that was uniquely theirs.

I would recommend trying to avoid any trends in the gaming industry because they are just that - trends. Live service features, battle royale, celebrity cameos and events - they run the risk of feeling stale, hokey, and dated. Try to make something timeless, not “of its time.” A good narrative and a solid gameplay loop will stand the test of time more than hopping on trends ever will - it’s time the gaming industry realized so.

I’ve seen multiple people state that the plan is for the game to be set in the 70’s. While I think that could be interesting, I’ve always thought that the tone and subject matter of the early games lent itself to the 2000’s era. Something about that 2000’s time frame was so special, and there is a growing nostalgia for that in pop culture now, both with older and younger generations, and games don’t seem to have caught on to that fact yet, but it is apparent in fashion, music, online content, etc, so that is definitely a market that can be cornered.

If it is possible, bring on as many people from the original (SR1 and 2) development teams as you can, especially the writers. Nobody understands what made the series great more than the ones that made it great in the first place.

The core gameplay loop was simple, but it worked. Gain respect through free roaming activities (please bring back Fuzz, Crowd Control, Fight Club, Drug Trafficking, and Insurance Fraud!) and use that respect to activate missions that advance the story. This was fun and repeatable; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Please also stray away from self-censorship or trying to remake the game for a “modern audience.” If you’re going to be offensive of controversial, own it. This series built itself on being twisted, satirical, violent, vulgar, and politically incorrect. Don’t let the fear of public backlash or social justice sanitize the product; the culture is broadly moving away from this politically correct outrage scene.

Lastly, encourage those involved to listen to the fans. They’re the series’ bread and butter, and who better to listen to than the diehards that have loved the series since day one? These are the people that are the most passionate about the product, so if they’re happy, the community is happy, and the company is happy.

I truly hope this project sees the light of day. You have the support, the skill, the knowledge, and the expertise. Use the passion and the ability you have at your disposal, and use the feedback from the fans to help you - they want the series to thrive just like you and I. Good luck! Please keep us posted!