I don't think Rubin should be saying any ill words about the only game his company puts out that isn't total garbage.

@Getz said:

Guys, read the damn article before you comment. Jason Rubin is not a "suit" and he's not talking about "toning down" Saints Row. He's merely pointing out that SR3 aimed pretty low and that the team is capable of so much more: and he's absolutely right. I enjoyed Saints Row 3 just as much as you guys did, but it wasn't exactly the most ambitious game.

I have a lot of faith in Rubin; that he has the best interest of the developers under THQ in mind and that he has a solid plan for the future.

You are part of the problem.

@kpaadet said:

I'm not embarrassed playing SR3, but I'm definitely embarrassed by how the community and guys like Ryan have reacted to this article.

I'm kind of on the same boat, SR3 wasn't a great game, but it certainly deserve it's praise and sales.

Even though I don't agree with this guy, I get the feeling he's talking in more of a business perspective.

The way the community and guys like Ryan and Gary acted is irrational and naive.

I swear if Saints Row 4 goes the same way GTAIV did they have lost what made Saints Row, Saints Row.

Lost in all this is Bryan Crescente being a complete fucking hack. No wonder the industry treats the media like they're always trying to 'trap' them or twist their words around. You wonder why they won't answer a straight question from Jeff Gerstmann, it's because guys like Crescente make them all worried that they're being led into a trap.

Next time Crescente will say "yes or no; have you stopped intentionally ruining everything?"

@katanalauncher said:

@kpaadet said:

I'm not embarrassed playing SR3, but I'm definitely embarrassed by how the community and guys like Ryan have reacted to this article.

I'm kind of on the same boat, SR3 wasn't a great game, but it certainly deserve it's praise and sales.

Even though I don't agree with this guy, I get the feeling he's talking in more of a business perspective.

The way the community and guys like Ryan and Gary acted is irrational and naive.

This made me go look at the tweets from Ryan and...Jebus.

@SteamPunkJin said:

They removed events from previous versions and sold them later as DLC.

I'm curious about this. I only played SR3, because SR2 is a shoddy port for the PC, and I didn't find any of the DLC even close to necessary. Shark gun? Extra crazy Japanese levels that I didn't want to play?

What is this 'essential' DLC that was removed from SR2 to SR3?

He was also condescending towards Darksiders. I sincerely hope the fucker won't bring THQ down. Maybe they've made a mistake by hiring him.

@Napalm said:

I really hope we're all just misinterpreting his comment, because right now, it sounds like he's just saying he wants Saints Row: The Third to be a super serious, mature game. That's not where I want the Saints Row IP to go at all.

Couldn't agree more. It's the fact that it's the anti-GTA which made me love it so much.

Frankly, I just don't want people who have never played Saints Row The Third telling me about that game's faults and what they expect the team to do better from that game. What was that line from Crecente about how he's never played the game because he's "embarrassed" by it, and yet he completely agrees with Edge's summation of the game being a fratboy power fantasy in spite of his never having played the game? Shut up you dumb motherfuckers, it's obvious you missed the point and continue to not want to understand the point.

I don't want another fucking Red Dead Redemption or Skyrim. Those games are fine for what they are but they are not Saints Row, and what Volition has proved with The Third is that they are on some next-level shit.

I usually play system heavy games, strategy games, but fuck was SR3 a great fucking game. If this new president changes SR's bat-shit crazy path, I hope THQ goes bankrupt. If you're embarrassed to play SR3 then you have issues, oh noes a dildo on screen, how dare you!

I don't know where it came from, some guy was posting it in the GB chat during the demo, but apparently Rubin was actually going to Ukraine to meet with the Metro: Last Light devs to see if they could make it more friendly or some bullshit.

Fuck this guy

@Animasta said:

I don't know where it came from, some guy was posting it in the GB chat during the demo, but apparently Rubin was actually going to Ukraine to meet with the Metro: Last Light devs to see if they could make it more friendly or some bullshit.

Fuck this guy

What?! If that's true, then "Fuck this guy" indeed.

I don't know where it came from, some guy was posting it in the GB chat during the demo, but apparently Rubin was actually going to Ukraine to meet with the Metro: Last Light devs to see if they could make it more friendly or some bullshit.

Fuck this guy

@Brodehouse: meh, I haven't been able to find the source so maybe it's false, but ask buckybit he was the one who was spamming it in the chat

It embarrasses me too. Not the fact that you do dumb shit in the game, but the fact that it's perceived as a good game. That embarrasses me as a gamer.

@KillyDarko said:

@MrKlorox said:

It embarrasses me too. Not the fact that you do dumb shit in the game, but the fact that it's perceived as a good game. That embarrasses me as a gamer.

Quoted for truth.

It embarrasses you two that other people enjoy a video game....think about what you're saying.

Apparently this has been an outrage over something he didn't say. From Jason Rubin's Twitter:

People: Reread the Verge. Interviewer says HE doesn't like SaintsRow. HE wouldn't play in front of family. HIS opinions. Not mine.

The Polygon story has been updated to clarify too. So we can stop being angry. Or not, I don't know...

@NegativeCero said:

Apparently this has been an outrage over something he didn't say. From Jason Rubin's Twitter:

People: Reread the Verge. Interviewer says HE doesn't like SaintsRow. HE wouldn't play in front of family. HIS opinions. Not mine.

The Polygon story has been updated to clarify too. So, we can stop being angry. Or not, I don't know...

From Ryan's Twitter:

@Jason_Rubin so...what are your opinions?

This was fourteen hour ago. Rubin has not posted on Twitter since. I'm going with "the thing speaks for itself."

@NegativeCero said:

Apparently this has been an outrage over something he didn't say. From Jason Rubin's Twitter:

People: Reread the Verge. Interviewer says HE doesn't like SaintsRow. HE wouldn't play in front of family. HIS opinions. Not mine.

The Polygon story has been updated to clarify too. So, we can stop being angry. Or not, I don't know...

From Ryan's Twitter:

@Jason_Rubin so...what are your opinions?

This was fourteen hour ago. Rubin has not posted on Twitter since. I'm going with "the thing speaks for itself."

@NegativeCero said:

Apparently this has been an outrage over something he didn't say. From Jason Rubin's Twitter:

People: Reread the Verge. Interviewer says HE doesn't like SaintsRow. HE wouldn't play in front of family. HIS opinions. Not mine.

The Polygon story has been updated to clarify too. So, we can stop being angry. Or not, I don't know...

He may not be embarrassed but he still says the game is beneath them and they should be making their games more like Red Dead Redemption so I think there is still plenty to be apprehensive about.

. . . so maybe . . . just maybe . . . this company that badly needs sales has a new head who is hoping that SR3 can SELL as well as RDR or TES:S?
 
From GB Achievement tracking: SR3 = 7565, TES:S = 11139, RDR = 22697.
 
The best data I can find online is from company announcements: SR3 = 3.8mil, TES:S = 10mil, and I can't find numbers I trust for RDR, but I'm going to bet it's a bit north of TES:S (though not by as much as you might think since TES:S has a huge PC player base and RDR has one of 0 -- though TES:S numbers are "shipped to retail" so they don't count online sales)...
 
Just a thought.

@TentPole said:

@NegativeCero said:

Apparently this has been an outrage over something he didn't say. From Jason Rubin's Twitter:

People: Reread the Verge. Interviewer says HE doesn't like SaintsRow. HE wouldn't play in front of family. HIS opinions. Not mine.

The Polygon story has been updated to clarify too. So, we can stop being angry. Or not, I don't know...

He may not be embarrassed but he still says the game is beneath them and they should be making their games more like Red Dead Redemption so I think there is still plenty to be apprehensive about.

From what I read he meant that he wanted it to be on the level of a Red Dead, so that Brian Crecente (author of story) would've been impressed by it. From the updated story:

Ed's note: To be clear, Rubin isn't saying that he's embarrassed of the game or that he's not a fan of Saints Row or proud of Volition. What he's saying is that he hopes that despite my feelings, that the team can impress me in the future. I followed up with Rubin after this interview ran and he reiterated that, adding that he both loved Saints Row the Third and that he thinks the team is capable of more.

I italicized and bolded the relevant sentence.

@NegativeCero: No, I have read it. There is still plenty to take issue with.

People like misreading articles.

@Dany said:

People like misreading articles.

I can't speak for others but I think I understood the tone rather well.

Interesting how you ignored the part where he said he wouldn't interfere in the design process of any of the games.

@NegativeCero:

Saints Row the Third isn't a bad game, but it's not the sort I'd want to play, I tell Rubin. Then I ask him if he thinks that's an issue.

"That's why I am here," he said, after saying he wants more from Volition, "because of what you just said."

Worrisome

To be clear, Rubin isn't saying there isn't any room in his company "for a game that features a purple dildo," in fact he points out there are now two such games (the other isSouth Park: The Stick of Truth). But that sensibility isn't always a good fit for a studio.

"It works for South Park, but I'm not sure it does elsewhere," he said. "I don't think (Volition) chose to do what they did because they had all of the options available to them. It was the environment at the time.

"I know I can change that."

Worrisome

"Why couldn't that be a Red Dead Redemption or a Skyrim?" he said. "I look at that title and I say, ‘Who cares what it is and why it got to be what it is? From that team we can make something that isn't embarrassing."

Ed's note: To be clear, Rubin isn't saying that he's embarrassed of the game or that he's not a fan of Saints Row or proud of Volition. What he's saying is that he hopes that despite my feelings, that the team can impress me in the future. I followed up with Rubin after this interview ran and he reiterated that, adding that he both loved Saints Row the Third and that he thinks the team is capable of more.

Worrisome even after the addendum considering the overall message he is trying to convey throughout the interview.

@Dany: Misread my ass.

@OldGuy said:

and I can't find numbers I trust for RDR, but I'm going to bet it's a bit north of TES:S

In their last earnings call Take 2 said 13.5 millions for RDR. They didn't specify shipped or sold and if it includes the Undead Nightmare DLC.

In any case i can understand him wanting the sales from those games but Saints Row is already their biggest franchise currently and changing it to be more serious like RDR or GTA would just kill it, not make it more popular.

There's nothing misread from the article about sane people taking issue with it.

It's pretty clear that he wants the validation and hoity toity praise that came with such "serious" games like RDR and Skyrim so butthurt douchebags like Crescente won't feel "embaressed" of something so "juvenile and simple-minded" as Saints Row The Third.

He also worryingly adresses how he feels Vigil should set their sights on something else than Darksiders II, a game they're still slaving hard over finishing and if is close to being the same quality of the first one, will be awesome. And will probably be THQ's best bet for some money this season.

His defenders are trying to tout Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted as evidence of his earlier successes, but may I remind you that the first two franchises got ttrashed into teh ground (Especially Jak, which I might add turned into a dark and mature GTA rip off) and he was long gone by the time Uncharted actually turned good.

His first week as head of THQ has left me with a really sour taste after the dick way they seemingly closed the San Diego studio and this awful interview. The guy comes off as everything that's wrong with management. Why the hell is he kissing Crescente's ass of all things in taht interview when he borderline insults your employees!? He should have ripped Crescente a new one instead and told him to shut his whore face about a game he's never played and praised Volition for being THQ's current saviors. Screw that company, I hope Vigil, Volition, Relic and all the other talented devs who will have to work under this guy manage to finagle a way to a publisher who'll show appreciation and probably not stab them in the back like Rubin has showed so far.

@TentPole: Fair enough. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Why is he bagging on SR3? That game was fucking great and nobody can tell me I'm wrong.

If I wanted to play the same old rinse'n'repeat GTA game, I wouldn't have sold GTAIV to help pay for Saints Row 2.

Seriously. Best upgrade ever.

Well, fuck this guy, STRAP IT ON!

@Village_Guy said:

Well, fuck this guy, STRAP IT ON!

I think you got that in the wrong order.

I hold the Saints Row franchise in no high regard. In fact i would go as far as to call it complete shit, utterly deprived of any cleverness or wit, but even with that opinion of the game i would not change a thing about it if i had any control over the IP. It has a rather large market that it appeals to and makes THQ a heck of a lot of money when compared to its other franchises. So long story short, i agree with Rubin's opinion of the game, but don't think he should do anything about it.

I doubt the man is an idiot. He isn't going to shit on the money box that is Saints Row, it's the only thing that has kept THQ alive until now. Either way, the focus should be on making or acquiring some more IP's, THQ's slate is looking baron.

Saints Row should never be serious game. that would destroy it. Utilizing it full crazy potential is the thing to do. I have to agree that the dildo campaign was stupid and could turn people off the product.

. . . so maybe . . . just maybe . . . this company that badly needs sales has a new head who is hoping that SR3 can SELL as well as RDR or TES:S?
 
From GB Achievement tracking: SR3 = 7565, TES:S = 11139, RDR = 22697.
 
The best data I can find online is from company announcements: SR3 = 3.8mil, TES:S = 10mil, and I can't find numbers I trust for RDR, but I'm going to bet it's a bit north of TES:S (though not by as much as you might think since TES:S has a huge PC player base and RDR has one of 0 -- though TES:S numbers are "shipped to retail" so they don't count online sales)...
 
Just a thought.

So this will the the plot for Saint's 4ow right?, The Verge a new evil organization that's run by the president of the saint's or something like that right?.

@MrKlorox said:

It embarrasses me too. Not the fact that you do dumb shit in the game, but the fact that it's perceived as a good game. That embarrasses me as a gamer.

Hit the nail on the head.

@KillyDarko said:

@MrKlorox said:

It embarrasses me too. Not the fact that you do dumb shit in the game, but the fact that it's perceived as a good game. That embarrasses me as a gamer.

Quoted for truth.

It embarrasses you two that other people enjoy a video game....think about what you're saying.

@KillyDarko said:

@tonnous24 said:

@KillyDarko said:

@MrKlorox said:

It embarrasses me too. Not the fact that you do dumb shit in the game, but the fact that it's perceived as a good game. That embarrasses me as a gamer.

Quoted for truth.

It embarrasses you two that other people enjoy a video game....think about what you're saying.

No one said that, but sure... All we said is that the game is not as good as people make it-- SR2 was a much better game. Sure it was buggier, but it had much better writing, more customisation, better dialogue and a much, much better story and rival gangs. It also had a LOT more content... Even if you didn't do any of the mini-game side quest stuff you'd still have a 20 to 30h long fun game with lots of highly different missions, whereas in SR3 they make you play the first round on all mini-games (and they only serve as filler cause they're useless to the story) and the missions are highly repetitive, to the point of actually repeating themselves (like you falling off a plane twice in what is a short game (in comparison to SR2).

Nope, what you said is that it embarrasses you that other people think it is a good game. Which still is a fucking stupid thing to say.

Well if Jason Rubin agreed with that flame-baiting piece of shit before, he's sure as hell going to keep it to himself now. I think the backlash across the Internet has sufficiently neutered any schemes he had. If it didn't, well, it was nice knowing THQ.

Jesus, people get offended when other people don't like the game they're in love with. And you act like we're the ones with problems. To clarify: when people who should know better use SR3 as an example of an excellent game that everyone should play to non-gamers who don't know any better, I die more a little inside. It's not like, "Oh man this guy likes this game, I'm soooo embarassed".

See the editors note. He said he loved the game, but he thinks the guys at Volition are capable of doing more. Thats not really an unfair statement when you look at the company's history. Freespace 2 is one of the best games ever made. No matter how fun Saints Row The Third is, I don't think anyone would put it in that same category.

@MrKlorox said:

Jesus, people get offended when other people don't like the game they're in love with. And you act like we're the ones with problems. To clarify: when people who should know better use SR3 as an example of an excellent game that everyone should play to non-gamers who don't know any better, I die more a little inside. It's not like, "Oh man this guy likes this game, I'm soooo embarassed".

The irony of this post was not lost on me.

@TatoBins said:

See the editors note. He said he loved the game, but he thinks the guys at Volition are capable of doing more. Thats not really an unfair statement when you look at the company's history. Freespace 2 is one of the best games ever made. No matter how fun Saints Row The Third is, I don't think anyone would put it in that same category.

They are different games with different intentions. They can't be compared. That's what makes what the president said so baffling. He's comparing two massively different things. It's like comparing a drama movie with a comedy. The comparison is irrelevant.

Saints 3 was a OK game, nothing more and nothing less. THQ is well as far as i can tell another poorly run game company that is trying to keep from going under. I also think any person(s) from their bosses point of view can do better at their jobs. I have no opinion on all this other stupid he said, she said bullshit.