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Deep Silver Volition, LLC

Moby ID: 895

AKA +
  • Volition, Inc. (from 1996-11 to 2013)

Overview edit · view history

Deep Silver Volition, LLC was a development studio owned by Plaion and (re)named after its Deep Silver label.

The studio was established as Volition, Inc. in November 1996 in Champaign, Illnois (USA). Initially it was a part of the development studio Parallax Software. After making Descent II, Parallax decided to split up its offices in Champaign and Ann Arbor (Michigan) into two separate companies. The Ann Arbor office became Outrage Entertainment and the one in Champaign became Volition. Both companies shared technologies, message boards and even had a common online matchmaking service, called PXO. The Volition staff was lead by Michael Kulas. In the early years the studio focused entirely on games in the space combat Freespace series.

In 2000, Volition, along with its PXO service, was acquired by THQ. The studio then made very different types of games, such as the Summoner RPG series (2000-2002) and the licensed action game The Punisher (2005). In those years the studio became especially known for the Red Faction action games (2001-2011) and the Saints Row series (since 2006). THQ also acquired the other Parallax studio Outrage Entertainment in 2002, renaming it Outrage Games, but closed it in 2004 after contributions to the PC version of Red Faction II.

In August 2012 THQ canceled InSane, the game Volition had been working on with movie director Guillermo del Toro. The rights were returned to the director. Following the closure of parent company THQ in January 2013, Volition was sold to Koch Media for 22.3 million dollars and became Deep Silver Volition. The first game released under that banner was Saints Row IV (2013). Koch Media did not acquire the rights to the Red Faction and Summoner franchises, as those were sold to Nordic Games GmbH.

In 2014, the company was led by Dan Cermak and had circa 300 employees. On 27 September 2017, it was announced that 30 people were laid off after the disappointing performance of Agents of Mayhem, including general manager Dan Cermak. In October of the same year, Jim Boone returned as studio development director.

On 17 November 2022, the company was moved from the Plaion-owned operating group Deep Silver to Gearbox Software. The company was closed on 31 August 2023.

Credited on 25 Games from 1998 to 2022

Displaying most recent · View all

Saints Row (2022 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Saints Row: The Third - Remastered (2020 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Red Faction: Guerrilla - Re-Mars-tered (2018 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Agents of Mayhem (2017 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Homefront: The Revolution (2016 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (2015 on Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4...)
Sacred 3 (2014 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3...)
Saints Row IV: Game of the Century Edition (2014 on Linux, Windows, Xbox 360...)
Saints Row IV (2013 on Linux, Windows, Xbox 360...)
Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package (2012 on Linux, Windows, Xbox 360...)
Saints Row: The Third (2011 on Linux, Windows, Xbox 360...)
Red Faction: Armageddon (2011 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3...)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3...)
Saints Row 2 (2008 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3...)
Elements of Destruction (2008 on Windows, Xbox 360)
Saints Row (2006 on Xbox 360, Xbox One)
The Punisher (2005 on Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox)
Red Faction II (2002 on Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox...)
Summoner 2 (2002 on PlayStation 2, GameCube)
Red Faction (2001 on Windows, PlayStation 2, Macintosh...)

[ view all ]

History +

August 31, 2023

Company closed.

November 17, 2022

Company moved from the Plaion operating group Deep Silver to Gearbox Software.

September 27, 2017

Company lays off 30 staff members, including general manager Daniel Cermak, after the poor sales of Agents of Mayhem.

January 23, 2013

Company acquired by Koch Media for US$ 22.3 million, along with the Saints Row IP, from the THQ bankruptcy sale.

August 31, 2000

Volition is acquired by THQ, along with PXO.

[ view all ]

Trivia +

The company website was formerly http://www.volition-inc.com

Related Web Sites +

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