Saints Row Dev Couldn't Get it's Head Around Cell

Saints Row developer Volition has elaborated on the botched release of the original game on PS3, telling CVG in an interview "we just couldn't get our heads around the Cell technology".

"Cell's really, really powerful. The problem is it's also a really different system, the way it uses multi-threading technology."

Saints Row was released on Xbox 360 in 2006 and appeared on the cover of various PS3 magazines the following year, only to be quietly cancelled. "It was really hard for us to wrap our heads around and we got to the point where we were like, 'if we're going to release it it's going to be way too late'," said Sutton.

For the sequel Volition has since hired a dedicated PS3 team to tackle the hardware. "Now we're up to showing PS3 at the same level and only one day behind the Xbox, which is really exciting for us," Sutton said.

But are the problems over for PS3 multi-platform development? "I think it's closing. There are still difficulties on it, I think you still see some games push out their PlayStation ports a little bit later. I think now the support's there at least - we've had many conversations with Sony trying to get our heads around that.

"We see PlayStation-only bugs pop up. There are Xbox only bugs too, but the problem is those PlayStation-only bugs are so complicated and Sony didn't have the support to help us out during the Saints Row 1 development. But now we have that support and it's really exciting."

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