Deep Silver Volition, LLC, commonly known as Volition, was an American video game developer based in Champaign, Illinois, best known for the Red Faction and Saints Row series. The studio was founded as Parallax Software in June 1993 by Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog, and was renamed Volition in November 1996 after the company split in two. Volition was acquired by THQ in August 2000, sold to Koch Media’s Deep Silver division in January 2013, and shut down on August 31, 2023, as part of a restructuring within the Embracer Group.
Design and History
The Volition logo originated from an internal design contest. When co-founder Mike Kulas chose “Volition” as the new company name, he pitched the name and its definition to employees and asked them to create a suitable logo. Of the many entries submitted, the winning design was created by Jasen Whiteside, who was inspired by the logo of Wax Trax! Records, a Chicago-based independent record label. Adam Pletcher, who had been hired as the studio’s artist in January 1994, created a custom font to display the company name. The logo has been in use since that time.[1]
The logo underwent a modern variation in 2013, the same year the studio was acquired by Deep Silver following THQ’s bankruptcy. This updated version retained the core elements of the original 1996 mark while presenting a refreshed appearance.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Volition logo features the letter “V” as its central element, with a white, male face displayed in its center. Below the letter, the word “Volition” is rendered in lower-case letters.[2] The “V” serves as a direct visual reference to the company’s name, while the face within the letterform gives the mark a distinctive, human character that set it apart from typical corporate logos of the era.
The name “Volition” itself was chosen by Kulas after he found the word in a glossary, described as “an intense active will to accomplish something.” He drew a connection between this definition and the act of software development, which led him to select it as the company name.[1]
Typography and Design
The wordmark portion of the Volition logo was set in a custom font created by Adam Pletcher, the studio’s artist. Pletcher was hired in January 1994 because the team lacked an artist, and he went on to design the typography that would accompany Whiteside’s symbol.[1] The custom lettering was designed specifically to display the company name and has remained a consistent element of the identity through its 2013 variation.
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