Saints' Row Standalone Expansion Canceled, Content Rolled Into Next Installment

[DoctorFinger]

The tumult at THQ continues to effect changes on the release calendar. Today the publisher announced the cancellation of Enter The Dominatrix, the previously revealed stand-alone expansion for Saints' Row The Third set for later this year. Instead the content will be rolled into a full on sequel set for 2013. Enter the Dominatrix reportedly centered around using super powers in a Matrix-like computer simulation, and we can infer from the announcement that the next Saints' Row will also be heavy in the super powers.

The announcement of Enter the Dominatrix last month was a bit of a head-scratcher. The Saints' Row series was the only bonafide hit on the THQ roster, so the desire for more releases was understandable. But an executive shake-up at the publisher seems to have shifted priorities. A full retail Saints Row 4 will probably do more for the company than a $30 expansion.

[Widgetcraft]

Weird. Announce a game one month, cancel it the next. I hope they get their act together, THQ publishes some really great games, including Saint's Row. I probably would have bought this day-one, and I'm sure I will still buy Saint's Row IV, but the whole thing feels odd.

[Spigot]

Ah well. I was going to get this too, given how much I'm in love with SR3 at the moment, but they've got my dollars day one on SRIV... assuming the company is still around by then.

[AyeEmBored]

I've got a sneaking suspicion there was a conversation like this:

So, we're releasing a stand alone expansion to Saints Row:The Third.

Why isn't this DLC?

Because the file size is too large for [insert your choice of XBL or PSN here].

Can we get away with charging $60 for it?

If we hadn't already announced it at a lower price point, maybe.

Hrm. Cancel it, retitle it, and release it as Saint's Row IV. Nobody will know the difference.

[Suave Peanut]

The story I read spun it as more positively as a delay than a "cancellation," which I believe.

Apparently this expansion had a lot of potential (and possibly feature creep, if I'm interpreting it right), so they'll give it more time to cook and roll it into the next full release. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Now if only they could make Red Faction good again...

[CES]

Here's hoping THQ live long enough to get SR4 out. I'm fine with this announcement as after having gone back and played SR2 a bit, I found there's a lot I didn't really like in SR3.

[Karak]

It already appeared as big as many games. I am ok with this.
I am NOT ok with the complete fuggery douche now running THQ. That fucker is Activision bad.

[Xerxes]

"If we rolled this DLC into what we already have for SR4, can we get it out sooner? Maybe."

Fact, full game makes more money than DLC.
Fact, they need money. Positive hits. Anything positive asap.

The news maybe kind of a bummer, but the new guy is trying to keep the ship a float. And with them Udraw lawsuits, they need some upswing fast.

[TheSilentDeath]

I hope we get to see the entirety of what they had in the game if it is rolled into SR4 since I have it on good authority that this expansion was badass.

[Xerxes]

Originally Posted by TheSilentDeath

I hope we get to see the entirety of what they had in the game if it is rolled into SR4 since I have it on good authority that this expansion was badass.

THQ can't afford to cut a scrap.

[MagGnome]

I'm afraid THQ won't be with us much longer at this rate. I just hope that Relic goes indie after. I'd hate to see them get scooped up by the likes of EA, Activision, or Ubisoft. I guess Take Two would be fine, but other than that...no thanks.

[Narradisall]

Sheesh, things aren't looking good for THQ, how can they manage things so poorly.

SR3 was the first one I played, and it was actually amazing fun that I really wasn't expecting. I could see me picking up a 4th, but I'll still wait on reviews. If they make it to finishing a 4th....

[DoctorFinger]

I don't think this was a bad move really. The $30 stand alone expansion was the strange thing. Getting a new Saints' Row out 2 years after the last one is the safe and probably smart move.

[Wilkz07]

Originally Posted by AyeEmBored

I've got a sneaking suspicion there was a conversation like this:

So, we're releasing a stand alone expansion to Saints Row:The Third.

Why isn't this DLC?

Because the file size is too large for [insert your choice of XBL or PSN here].

Can we get away with charging $60 for it?

If we hadn't already announced it at a lower price point, maybe.

Hrm. Cancel it, retitle it, and release it as Saint's Row IV. Nobody will know the difference.

Sounds like how the meeting would go. Loved SR3, hated the season pass. Will get Sr4 but there needs to be more dlc than what Third had... And by dlc i mean more than just shitty weapon car packs.

[Widgetcraft]

Seriously, what is it about DLC that made publishers and developers forget how to make a compelling expansion pack?

[CES]

Originally Posted by Widgetcraft

Seriously, what is it about DLC that made publishers and developers forget how to make a compelling expansion pack?

It's called "We're fucked if we don't deliver something with low overhead and high profit margins". Welcome to the current generation of gaming. Probably the next one too.

[TheSilentDeath]

This was a proper expansion of the SR3 world, other than that I can't really say much more other than it was definitely worth the $30 they were going to charge for the game. Don't really see how they will roll what was in 3.5 into SR4.

I probably should have said the above instead of what I said earlier, but I'm skirting the NDA as it is and I'm pissed that I will probably never be able to fully talk to someone about what I played.

[Widgetcraft]

Originally Posted by CES

It's called "We're fucked if we don't deliver something with low overhead and high profit margins". Welcome to the current generation of gaming. Probably the next one too.

But how many people are buying shit like gang members modeled after Playboy bunnies? It's not just this game either, look at the DLC Capcom has been shitting out for Dragon's Dogma. Just this week they released a new wave of DLC that consists of weapons and armor that would be worthless thirty minutes into the game... a month after release, for a game that by most accounts is sold out everywhere. If there were even a little effort put into extending the game's fun I would buy it at the drop of a hat, but most of the time DLC just can't get me to pay even a very small amount of money for it.

[Stmfuller]

That's sad, a lot of people have enjoyed the game. But I guess rolling it not a sequel is probably fine.
I still haven't played the original, and I've had it for a while

[Fubl]

I am kinda confused by this, everyone and their brother knows THQ needs to get some capital in. We know darksiders II is coming, Unless relic can pop something out without someones noticing i dont see where they would get anymore capital, unless they got a shit-ton of money from the EA/UFC deal, this stand alone expansion pack really made sense to me specially with the really sub par DLC campaigns we did get.