Volition (company)

Deep Silver Volition, LLC (formerly Parallax Software Corporation and Volition, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Champaign, Illinois. Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog founded the company as Parallax Software in June 1993, developing Descent and Descent II. By the time the sequel was completed, Toschlog had relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, with some employees to operate a satellite studio for Parallax. Kulas and Toschlog decided to split up the company, with Toschlog establishing Outrage Entertainment and Kulas staying with Parallax, which was renamed Volition in November 1996. With publisher Interplay Entertainment, Volition created Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War and its sequel, FreeSpace 2. The two companies parted ways during the development of Summoner. Volition found a new publisher in THQ, which acquired the studio in August 2000 and released the game shortly thereafter. Under THQ, Volition created the Red Faction and Saints Row series, developing four entries in each series. During the development of Saints Row IV, THQ filed for bankruptcy in December 2012. In the subsequent proceedings, Volition and the Saints Row intellectual property (IP) were sold to Koch Media (now Plaion) and became part of the company's Deep Silver label. Meanwhile, Nordic Games acquired other THQ assets, including Summoner and Red Faction. Volition reconnected with these IPs when Koch Media was acquired by Nordic Games' parent company (later known as Embracer Group) in February 2018. The studio developed two less successful games with 2017's Agents of Mayhem and the 2022 Saints Row reboot. In November 2022, Volition was transferred to Gearbox Entertainment, another operative group within the Embracer Group. Parallax Software was founded on June 14, 1993, by Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog. The company was incorporated under the name Parallax Software Corporation. Both founders were programmers who had previously worked together on Car and Driver.