September 1st, 2023
Thirty years of making games. There are only a handful of studios in the
industry that have been around for 30 years, and we took a lot of pride in Volition being one of them.
Volition has been around long enough that some folks forget what we made, but they certainly know our games.
Refrains such as, "Volition made Descent?!", or "Volition made FreeSpace?!", or "Volition
made that Summoner RPG with that hilarious video?!" are not uncommon. Sometimes it's easier to
remember the games more than the studio that built them, especially for those that have been around as long as
we have. But all good things come to an end, and so it is with Volition. After 30 years Volition has closed,
and we wanted to say a few final words.
To start, we know there wouldn't be a studio without
the people in it. While it may sound cliched, as those who have worked at Volition can attest, it truly is a
huge family. Volition started with a team that had a vision for how to make the kinds of games others
couldn't and infused that confidence throughout the entire company. We assembled an incredibly talented
group of artists, storytellers, and creators who together built a culture that attracted top quality people
who truly cared for each other. Time progressed, people naturally came and went (and very often returned
again!), but the people were always what made Volition truly special. Do all developers feel the same? I know
they do, but in this case there truly was a unique culture of people that cared about each other like family,
combined with the will to create some of the most unique games ever created. Thank you so much to every
Volitionite who has ever worked here. You are all what made this the magical place it was to work at, and we
can never say enough about how much you have meant to us over these 30 years.
Beyond our
development family, we also wouldn't have a studio without our extended family - our community! For 30
years now you have played our games - sometimes you've loved them, sometimes you've been disappointed
with them, but you've always been there. We can speak for everyone who has worked at Volition when we say
all the hard work and sacrifices we've put into these games have been for you. Over these many years we
have enjoyed working on an extremely diverse series of games, and so many of you have come along for that
ride. We can't thank you enough for sticking with us throughout all this time. We've loved your
enthusiasm every step of the way, even those times when you wish we had (or hadn't!) gone a certain way
with a Saints Row or Red Faction or Descent. You are why we kept making these games, and those of us that have
been part of the Volition family will be eternally grateful.
Farewell.
