Former THQ president Jason Rubin was supportive during the development of Saints Row 4 and never suggested that the game should change its low brow tone, senior producer Jim Boone said in an interview with Official Xbox Magazine.
"Also, I do want to mention that Jason was extremely supportive [of] SR4 and really liked what we were doing with the game," Boone said when asked about Rubin's supposed suggestion that the series' adult tone is a barrier the game's success. "He would often offer ideas for the game, and those ideas were never suggestions about changing our tone. He was a fan of the series and loved what we were doing."
Polygon reported last July that while Saints Row: The Third sold more than four million copies, Rubin mentioned he expected more from the developer and said: "From that team we can make something that isn't embarrassing."
He later clarified that he loves Saints Row and that he thinks the team is capable of more but "Those two things are not mutually exclusive."
Boone believes that the series' humor isn't a barrier to its success, rather it is a contributor to its popularity and that "gamers crave unique experiences." He said fans may miss the low brow humor of previous Saints Row games if it wasn't maintained in the upcoming Saints Row 4 and that fans actually ask the developer to take the dirty tone even further.
"I think our fans would miss what might considered juvenile elements of previous SR games," Boone told OXM when asked if he thinks the Saints Row audience would be disappointed if the "bad taste elements" weren't in the fourth game. "Based on the overall reception and sales of SR3, I strongly suspect many people enjoy this aspect of SR, even if some may not want to admit feeling that way. Thinking of a movie series like The Hangover - people love the humor but you might not want to discuss some of the finer moments of those movies with your mom, for example."
For more information about Saints Row 4's gameplay, superpowers and the alien Zin, please read our in-depth Saints Row 4 report. The game will launch on Aug. 20 in North America and worldwide on Aug. 23 for Windows PC and current-gen platforms, except Wii U.