Notably, Saints Row will give fans a new tool with which to stake their claim in territories. A new mechanic called Criminal Ventures serves as a core part of Saints Row’s system of territory management. Through the Criminal Ventures system, players can start legitimate businesses that serve as fronts for illegitimate criminal schemes, which will help the player generate some cash and maintain control over Santo Ileso. While many of details of Criminal Ventures remain unknown, the mechanic is a symbol of Saints Row innovations that should make fans optimistic.
RELATED: New Saints Row Game Is Likely to Have a Big Summer
How Saints Row Criminal Ventures Work
Fans will spend Saints Row fighting with other criminal factions eager to control Santo Ileso. While the Saints will start small, players will claim territory from the Idols, Los Panteros, and Marshall Defense Industries. As Saints Row players take over parts of the city, they’ll find empty lots scattered through their new territory. Players can build new businesses on these lots, choosing from a variety of options like a hospital, fast food joint, toxic waste disposal site, and more.
According to Volition, each of these Criminal Ventures will come with new missions and minigames that will earn the player a profit while showcasing the Saints’ growth as a criminal empire. For instance, longtime Saints Row fans might enjoy building the Shady Oaks Medical Center since it brings back the classic Insurance Fraud minigame. Volition hasn’t explained every Criminal Venture yet, but the feature’s reveal trailer suggests Saints Row players will be able to unlock tons of different options, which in-turn will diversify Saints Row’s gameplay as the player progresses.
RELATED: The Saints Row Reboot Needs to Blend Saints Row 3’s Charm with Modern Mechanics
Saints Row’s Growth Through Criminal Ventures
While there’s plenty left to learn about Saints Row features like Criminal Ventures, it showcases how the franchise reboot can succeed. While Saints Row preserves the traditional faction-driven gameplay that made the series famous, it builds on the premise literally and figuratively thanks to the businesses that players can construct and operate. These businesses could make faction warfare more rewarding than before. If the Saints Row reboot is all about upgrading core features of the broader Saints Row franchise, it may yet shine.
The Saints Row reboot is clearly very different from its predecessors, but it also seems to revel in that identity. Volition is taking the reboot as an opportunity to try new things, both in terms of gameplay features and the franchise’s aesthetic. The loss of the wacky, irreverent, explosive comedy that helped define Saints Row is sad, but the reboot may make up for it through strong central characters and bold new mechanics. Hopefully Criminal Ventures live up to the hype alongside all the other risks that Saints Row is taking. If they do, the Saints Row franchise may find even more new ways to flourish in the coming years.
Saints Row releases August 23, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: Grand Theft Auto 6’s Absence Gives Saints Row Time to Shine
