This Fall is big enough for the both of us.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Producer Jim Boone says the Volition studio isn't intimidated by Grand Theft Auto V's competitive release date. He said:
Obviously, when [Rockstar] announced its date and it was so close to us, that was an interesting phenomenon, but the thing we feel good about in general is that we’re such a different game to what they are. If we were stylistically similar to the first Saints Row, I’d be horrified right now. Saints Row: The Third came out the same time as Assassin’s Creed, but the games are so different in terms of what they do.
Still, many classify Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto as being in the same genre, and if not then they're certainly viewed as competitors. Speaking strictly on sales numbers, when given a choice consumers are more interested in Grand Theft Auto. But that isn't to say that Saints Row isn't a beast in its own right. Actually, Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row 2 broke five million units sold making the series a star in its own right. As fine and dandy as that is, Grand Theft Auto is on another level. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold over 27.5 million units. How can you not see that as a big "get the heck out of my release window" sign?
For the sake of Volition, it's a good thing the releases are separated by four weeks. The studio can be as confident as it wants, but Grand Theft Auto is the Godzilla of the video game industry. It devours studios worse than Call of Duty, and we haven't seen a game from the series in so long that some people jump in excitement when even the smallest detail is revealed about the game. The industry is in for one heck of a firefight later this year.
