Deep Silver Volition

Background

Deep Silver Volition Inc. (originally established as Volition Inc.) is an American video game developer founded in November 1996 after the splitting of Parallax Software (the creators of the Descent series), with their Champaign, Illinois office becoming Volition and their Ann Arbor, Michigan office becoming Outrage Games; both companies shared assets including technology and the PXO online matchmaking service. In its early years, the studio was best known for the FreeSpace series. Volition and PXO were acquired by THQ in 2000, and later German congolomerate Koch Media in 2013 following THQ's bankruptcy and the cancellation of InSane, a joint project between Volition and director Guillermo Del Toro. Currrently, Volition is best known for the Saints Row and Red Faction series.

(March 19, 1998-)

Nicknames: "Volition Head"

Logo: On a black background, a shadowed, menacing white face appears from the darkness, turning to face us. A flash occurs, and the face becomes 2D, with a large black V appearing behind it, with a white outline. The logo moves back as the text ''volition'' in a grungy white font appears below, and a trademark ''TM'' sign beside it.

Variants:

Descent: FreeSpace - The Great War (1998): The logo is superimposed over the opening movie, slowly zooming back. The V is over a black box outline, with a thick header on top reading ''volition, inc.''.
FreeSpace 2 (1999): Same as the previous variant, except only the V appears at first, with the box appearing behind it after, this time simply reading ''volition''
Red Faction (2001): After the standard animation, the face disappears and is replaced by a similar face wearing a hard hat. The logo becomes dark red.
Summoner II (2002): After the standard animation, a magical aura appears around the face, which gains Medusa-like hair.
Red Faction II (2002): The face rapidly zooms out until it reaches the "V" upon which it explodes, a face of a dictator (likely meant to represent that of Chancellor Sopot from the game) showing up in the center afterwards.
The Punisher (2004): the Punisher's skull emblem flashes before the face appears and is immediately shot to the forehead, followed by more gunshots until it falls off from the "V".
Saints Row (2006): an outline of the face shines before the logo appears, plated in metal. "Volition Inc" is written with the same lush font as that of the Saints Row logo and sparkles at the end.
Saints Row II (2008): the logo appears in various graffiti styles until it is finally shown in negative and turns into normal colors. The name "Volition Inc" is by the sides of the head. Then it disappears in a static flash.
Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009): the scanner searches over the surface of Mars, then showing the rock face of Mars (an allusion to the real object), which turns into the logo. The logo is on the white background, and the name is above and in the box.
Red Faction: Armageddon (2011): the logo emerges from the right only to be blasted to bits by a laser beam; its debris subsequently reforms into the game's logo.
Saints Row: The Third (2011): the logo is on a car bumper in black and chrome.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (2015): the logo is covered in red matter with sparks flying.

FX/SFX: The CGI used to light the face as it centers screen, as well as the near-sudden flash.

Music/Sounds: An ominous choir, followed by a sudden bang as soon as it flashed.

Music/Sounds Variants:

Red Faction II: An explosion sound as the face slams into the V, and an electricity-like sound as the company name appears.
Summoner II: A mystic, magic sound as the face changes into Medusa.
The Punisher: sounds corresponding to the gunfire.
Saints Row has a high-pitched noise for the formation and sparkling sounds for the sparkles on "Volition Inc".
Saints Row II has a district music (some kind of), which flickers, but then becomes stable.

Availability: Common. Seen on games by the studio.

Editor's Note: None.