Former Volition team unveils Shapeshifter Games studio

Former Volition employees have come together to form a new game development studio named Shapeshifter Games. The team describes itself as a co-development studio for AAA games and is led by Rob Loftus, a former producer of the Saints Row series, with Brian Traficante as the creative director, who held the same role at Volition. While Shapeshifter Games has started collaborating with a publisher on an unnamed AAA title, details about the publisher and the game remain undisclosed. This news comes after the closure of Volition by Embracer Group in August of the previous year as part of a restructuring initiative. Currently, Shapeshifter Games is in the process of expanding its team and hiring new talent.

AAA games are high-budget video games typically produced and distributed by major publishers. These games are known for their high quality, impressive graphics, large-scale marketing campaigns, and significant development teams. They are the video game industry's equivalent to blockbuster films.

Volition was widely recognized for creating the Saints Row series, an open-world action-adventure franchise often compared with Grand Theft Auto. It featured a mix of humor, customization, and gang-themed storylines. This series has been well-loved for its over-the-top gameplay and gained a strong fan base over the years. The formation of Shapeshifter Games by former Volition employees suggests that the spirit of ambitious and inventive game development continues despite the previous studio's closure.