Volition was working on a post-apocalyptic open-world game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 codenamed "Zeus." It was originally going to be a modern Western set in a post-apocalyptic Rio, starring a hardened gunslinger exploring a lawless and broken city. It would have been a mostly on-foot game, and would have been a drastic departure for the studio best known for the Saints Row franchise.

The studio felt good about where they were heading with Zeus. "Right or wrong, we know we could've made this game," senior producer Greg Donovan said at a panel at Game Developers Conference. "But it would've taken too long," he added. "It wouldn't have been the responsible thing to do." So, Volition shut down the game--by their own volition.

While some members of the studio were obviously disappointed by the game's cancellation, Donovan explained that they're glad of their ability to "fail fast" thanks to their ability to create vision tools quickly. The studio is currently working on a "top secret" project, which will use the learnings from their experience with Zeus.