Saints Row is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a street gang originally operating out of the Saint's Row district in the fictional city of Stilwater, hence the series' title. Due to the first entry being labeled as a Grand Theft Auto clone, the developers sought to create a more distinctive experience from the second game onwards, with a heavy focus on over-the-top gameplay, popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor. This change in direction helped define the series' identity, but proved controversial among fans of the original game.