'Skinballs,' a Saints Row test NPC that looks like four floating scoops of ice cream, has been preserved as part of a museum collection

In a public conversation on Bluesky, former Volition developer Elizabeth Zelle, alongside videogame preservationists Andrew Borman and Phil Salvadore, highlighted the existence of Skinballs, a surreal Saints Row test NPC who, through an accident of history, will be forever preserved for future generations in the Strong Museum of Play.

Responding to an article by IGN reporter Rebekah Valentine about the videogame Love and Deepspace's failure to account for nonwhite characters when lighting scenes, Zelle highlighted how Volition handled that challenge in Saints Row: The Third, Skinballs. Skinballs was made up of four spheres, each textured in a different flesh tone and used by artists to ensure scenes were properly lit for characters of all potential skin colors.

Borman, the director of di