Koch Media

Lore & Background

When THQ's financial collapse in 2013 sent its library into bankruptcy auction, the Saints Row nameplate—then three games deep and carrying a devoted following—found a new home under Koch Media. The German publisher, already known for titles like Dead Island and Darksiders, brought the franchise into its Deep Silver stable. For several years the IP sat relatively quiet while the industry shifted, until the 2017 Saints Row: The Third Remastered gave players a modernized entry point into the series' most celebrated installment.

The 2022 reboot marked Koch Media's boldest move with the property: a complete reimagining of the Saints Row universe, new characters, and a fresh tone aimed at broadening the audience. Volition, the series' long-time developer, built the game under Deep Silver's publishing umbrella. The result was a game that departed significantly from the irreverent, over-the-top identity fans associated with the original run, sparking a heated community debate about what Saints Row was meant to be.

Koch Media's tenure thus spans the franchise's most turbulent period—from the loss of its original publisher, through a period of dormancy, to a remaster and a controversial reboot. Its role is less that of a creative force and more that of a steward, deciding when and how the Saints Row name returns to shelves.

In Their Own Story

The office lights hum in a Munich high-rise, long after the developers have gone home. A marketing executive flips through a printed pitch deck—Saints Row, 2022. The cover art is clean, almost corporate. Somewhere in a drawer, a faded poster of the original 2006 box art still peels at the corner, the Saints' logo half-scraped off. She taps the page where the word 'accessible' appears three times. Outside, the city glows. The game ships in a few months. She closes the folder, pours cold coffee, and wonders if the kids who'll buy it will ever hear the word 'Sinner' shouted over a radio in Stilwater. Probably not. She logs off.

Reader's Guide

Koch Media (via Deep Silver) took over the Saints Row franchise after THQ's 2013 bankruptcy, marking the end of an era in which the series had grown organically under a single publisher. The first act under Koch Media was the 2017 Saints Row: The Third Remastered, developed by Volition. The goal was straightforward: bring the series' most beloved entry to modern hardware with updated visuals and a couple of new features, serving as both a nostalgia play and a pipeline to the next installment. Reception was warm but measured—fans appreciated the fidelity boost, though some felt the added content was thin.

The 2022 Saints Row reboot was Koch Media's ambitious swing. Volition was tasked with reimagining the entire universe—new city, new characters, new tone—under Deep Silver's publishing direction. The stated aim was accessibility and a broader audience. The community reaction was largely negative: long-time fans felt the game abandoned the anarchic, satirical identity that defined the original run, and the writing and character work drew particular criticism. Sales and review consensus reflected a game that, while technically competent, missed the emotional core of the franchise.

The reboot's reception has since shaped how Koch Media and Volition approach the IP, with the community now closely watching any future entry for whether the series can recapture the spirit of Saints Row 2 and The Third. The original run's impact on the open-world genre—its weapon variety, gang territory mechanics, and sheer tonal audacity—remains a benchmark that the post-THQ era has yet to fully match.

Did You Know?

• Koch Media acquired the Saints Row IP from THQ's 2013 bankruptcy proceedings, preserving the franchise after its original publisher ceased to exist.
• The Saints Row: The Third Remastered (2017) served as both a standalone product and a modernized on-ramp for players encountering the series for the first time.
• Koch Media operates the Saints Row franchise through its Deep Silver publishing label, which also handles other action and RPG titles.
• Volition has developed every mainline Saints Row game, from the 2006 original through the 2022 reboot, making it the series' consistent creative engine regardless of which publisher is attached.