Saints Row: The Third has enjoyed four times the pre-orders of Saints Row 2, according to THQ CEO Brian Farrell, who made the announcement yesterday during the company's quarterly earnings call. That doesn't mean that Saints Row: The Third is expected to run away with quadruple the sales. THQ estimates the game will ship over 3 million units before the publisher's fiscal year ends in March 2012. By comparison, Saints Row 2 launched in October 2009 and sold 2.6 million by the end of the fiscal year.

While all this seriousness was going on, THQ sent out a trailer this morning celebrating the madness of Saints Row: The Third's pimps, gimps and "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality.