14 DAY TRIAL // After confirming earlier this year that a standalone expansion is coming to Saints Row 3, in the form of Enter the Dominatrix, THQ and Volition have now revealed that the DLC has been postponed and will be released as a full-fledged sequel next year.
Saints Row: The Third was THQ’s best-selling game of last year and really helped the publisher escape some of its financial problems.
After releasing plenty of DLC packs, Volition began working on a standalone expansion called Enter the Dominatrix.
Now, after THQ appointed a new president in the form of Jason Rubin, the decision was taken to transform Enter the Dominatrix into a full-fledged sequel that would be launched in 2013.
"When I looked at the Enter The Dominatrix expansion in production at Volition, I was blown away by the ideas and desire to expand the fiction of the franchise," Rubin said.
"I asked the team what it could achieve given more time, more resources, and a broader scope for the project. We all agreed we wanted to play that game. When it comes to Saints Row, it's clear our fans want bigger, better, and even more over the top, and that's why Enter The Dominatrix will now be incorporated into a vastly expanded, full-fledged sequel, scheduled for calendar 2013. We believe the potential for this sequel is far greater as a full-priced, full-length, high quality, connected experience."
This decision has prompted THQ to revise its financial earnings, estimating that around $20 million in lost sales have been caused by the delay, but the company emphasizes that it will earn much more after the game is released next year.
A Saints Row sequel was already in development at Volition, in the form of Saints Row 4, so it’s unclear if it's also been delayed.