Volition, the Champaign-based studio, shuts down after 30 years
Published on September 1, 2022
Volition’s closure
After three decades of operation, Volition, the video game development studio based in Champaign, IL, has announced its closure. The decision to shut down Volition was made as part of a restructuring program undertaken by its parent company, Embracer. In order to maintain its industry leadership position, Embracer stated that it had to make the difficult choice to close Volition with immediate effect. The closure has been confirmed by tweets from former employees of the studio.
Volition’s history and achievements
In June 1993, Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog founded Volition under the name Parallax Software. The studio’s first game, released in 1995, was called Descent, followed by a sequel in the subsequent year. In 1998, the studio adopted the name Volition starting with their release of Descent: Freespace—The Great War.
- 2001: Volition’s breakthrough came with the release of the highly successful game, Red Faction.
- 2006: The Saints Row franchise was launched, becoming another major success for the studio.
- 2010s: Volition transitioned from THQ to Deep Silver, surviving through the company’s rebranding as Plaion.
- 2022: The studio released its final game, Saints Row 2022, which will be available on PlayStation Plus’ Extra tier from September 6.
Other notable titles
- 2002: Summoner 2
- 2004: The Punisher
