Jim Boone returns to Saints Row developer Volition after the layoffs last month

Last month it was revealed that, following on from the poor sales of Agents of Mayhem, the developer Volition had decided to let go a number of staff from the studio. The studio could do with a bit of positive news, so good thing it was announced yesterday that the long-time producer Jim Boone would be returning to the company as the studio development director. Boone’s return to Volition follows his departure 18 months ago for a Product Manager role at Riot Games.

In a lengthy interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Boone spoke about his return to Volition, saying that, ‘I missed them. I loved what I was doing when I left. I kept thinking about what the guys were doing, slaving away on Agents of Mayhem… and it felt kind of weird that I wasn’t part of that.’ 

Boone has spent a much of his working life at Volition, and he was there back in 1994 when it was still part of Parallax. He worked as a producer on the FreeSpace series, witnessed the birth of Red Faction and Saints Row, and now he’s back.

Yesterday marked Boone’s first day back at Volition. Prior to his return he visited the studio and said that, ‘It was only a brief little whirlwind of being back last week, and it was a weird combination of emotions that you could just see on everyone,’ said Boone. He’s now looking forward to the future, saying ‘We’re motivated by putting out a game that people love and get excited about, and talk to their friends about. That is the hallmark of the things we like about Saints Row series.’

In the interview Boone discussed Volitions most recent release, Agents of Mayhem, saying that it was no secret that the game had underperformed both critically and commercially. He also gave some insights into the working culture at Volition, and gave some hints as to how he’s hoping to use his experience at Riot Games to make Volition stronger going forward.

You can read the rest of the interview on Gamesindustry.biz.