Volition finds long-lost Saints Row 2 source code, pledges to fix notoriously wonky PC port

Developer Volition has pledged to fix the notoriously broken PC version of Saints Row 2 over a decade after its original release, having found the game's long thought lost source code.

Speaking during a special announcement livestream (which also marked Saints Row 2's 11th birthday in the US), Volition's general manager Mike Kulas explained that the studio, when faced with having to create three versions of the game for its original 2008 release, opted to outsource the PC port. And as both Volition, and countless users on the game's Steam page will attest, the results were less than stellar.

For a long time, the only way to enjoy Saints Row 2 on PC in anything like a satisfactory manner has been to rely on community created mods. Volition's Mike Watson, himself a modder and now senior community manager at the company, has lead the charge to improve the game internally for years, but plans were scuppered when the studio was unable to find the original PC source code. Now however, after much searching, that code has been found.

And with that major hurdle out of the way, Volition has now pledged to significantly improve Saints Row 2's original PC port. According to Watson and programmer Thomas Jepp, the two-man team in charge of the project, the new version will improve performance and stability, integrate Steam networking for co-op and multiplayer (previously, the game relied on the now-defunct GameSpy middleware), and add the Corporate Warfare and Ultor Exposed DLC previously only available on consoles.

It doesn't sound like fans should expect the update - which will be free to current owners of Saints Row 2 on Steam - in the immediate future, however. According to Watson, "It's one of those things where it'll be ready when it's ready... We really want to give it the love and care and attention it needs to really, really shine. We want this port to be beautiful on all levels."