A group of developers that made the poorly received 2022 Saints Row reboot at Volition have decided to establish a new studio named Shapeshifter Games. Headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, the studio aims to function as a co-development partner, supporting other developers and publishers in crafting AAA titles, particularly within the open-world genre.
As found by Techraptor, Shapeshifter Games is led by Matt Madigan, who serves as studio head, with Volition figures Rob Loftus and Brian Traficante taking on the roles of studio director for production and creative director, respectively. Both Loftus and Traficante expressed enthusiasm about the new venture on their LinkedIn profiles, highlighting the opportunity to reunite with former colleagues and embark on a fresh chapter.
Embracer has recently taken down many studios and projects, but the Saints Row reboot was a bad game overall. It did not appeal to fans of the series, was buggy, and just not fun. Hopefully, This studio will not make the same mistakes they did when they were under Volition.
The studio’s current roster includes six additional ex-Volition developers and one former employee of Ascendant Studios, which faced layoffs recently. Shapeshifter is actively seeking a Lead Software Engineer, further indicating their commitment to growth.
Interestingly, AJ Nelson’s LinkedIn profile hints that Shapeshifter is already co-developing a project for Xbox Game Studios. This early partnership secures valuable funding and experience for the fledgling studio, particularly amid the challenging job market within the gaming industry.
While the studio’s future remains unwritten, they have an uphill battle. In my opinion, it’s better to come off of failure because you learn what not to do and what didn’t work. If anything, this team has finished a bomb like the Saints Row reboot, which works in their favor. They most likely learned a lot from it and will use that experience to make competitive games with Triple-A games today. We’ll keep an eye on their next project because an underdog is never to be underestimated.
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