Want to witness a mind-blowing magic trick? All it takes is a failed open-world video game and a widely popular subscription service with millions of gamers. Abracadabra! Behold the revival of a “dead” game like Saints Row (2022), now soaring to become one of the most played games on PlayStation.
Personally, I am one of the few who genuinely enjoyed the reboot of Saints Row. However, I acknowledge that my opinion is in the minority. The majority, including critics and long-time fans, felt that the 2022 open-world crime simulation lacked the personality and charm of its beloved predecessors. The game had a rocky launch, plagued with numerous bugs and issues, and reportedly fell short of internal sales goals. Following its release and disappointing financial results from its parent company, Embracer, the studio behind the series, Volition, was shut down earlier this year. Yet, astonishingly, recent data reveals that Saints Row (2022) claimed the fourth spot as the most-played game on PlayStation in September, all thanks to its inclusion in a PS Plus giveaway.
Mat Piscatella, the executive director at Circana (formerly NPD), shared the list of most played games on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam in September on Twitter. Notably, Fortnite claimed the top position on both consoles, which comes as no surprise. However, the appearance of Saints Row in the top five on PlayStation is truly intriguing. The game jumped from being the 93rd most-played game on PSN to a remarkable achievement.
The reason behind the game’s sudden surge in popularity, as highlighted by Piscatella, is surprisingly simple: its inclusion in the September PS Plus free monthly games lineup. It’s worth noting that the other two games included in last month’s PS Plus lineup, Generation Zero and Black Desert, do not appear in Circana’s top 10 list. This suggests that although many were curious about Saints Row, negative reviews may have deterred them from trying it. However, when given the opportunity to play it for free, a multitude of players eagerly downloaded and explored this latest installment in the renowned series.
It remains unknown how many of these players actually completed the game or invested substantial time in it. Nonetheless, it is evident that featuring the game on PS Plus helped resurrect it from obscurity and potentially boosted sales of its downloadable content.
This instance exemplifies how subscription services can revitalize older or less successful games, catering to an audience of subscribers hungry for top-notch AAA experiences, even if the game itself falls short of greatness. In unrelated news, keep an eye out, because Gotham Knights has just been added to Game Pass.
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