If Volition's open-world franchise lives on after Saints Row 4, it will "probably continue in a different direction," design director Scott Phillips told Game Reactor.
Philips said that the developer hopes to continue the franchise, but that Saints Row 4 will tie up the long-running storyline of the 3rd Street Saints as players have come to know them since 2006's Saints Row.
"We're definitely considering Saints Row 4 sort of the end of that saga of this character and the Saints as they are," Philips said. "So if there's any more future Saints Rows — which you know we always hope there will be, we hope there's fans for future games like that — they will probably continue in a different direction."
For more on the Saints' next adventure, be sure to check out Polygon's hands-on impressions of Saints Row 4 from E3 2013. You can also learn about the groundwork Volition is laying for official mods in our interview with Mike "IdolNinja" Watson, who's working with Volition to create the official tools.