Five long years after it was announced, and a decade since the last entry in the series, Crackdown 3 will be launching a few months from now. But is that it, then? Will Crackdown fans have to go another decade without a new game in the series? According to Microsoft’s creative director Joseph Staten, no.

Speaking to Windows Central, he expressed a desire about wanting Crackdown to become a Microsoft mainstay franchise, alongside Halo, Gears of War, and Forza, noting that the IP of course has to earn it, but also hoping that Crackdown 3 is that moment for the series, echoing similar statements that have been made about the game in the past.

“Every game that Microsoft Studios makes… that’s the hope, that’s the dream for every title we publish,” he said. “Some games earn that, and some games don’t. Our hope is that every game that we ship, we give it the best shot at becoming the next big franchise. The way we look at that is, you have to earn that. It’s not a foregone conclusion. We think Crackdown has a lot of potential, it’s a really fun game, we hope people love it.”

I do hope the game comes together after five years of development time and so many studios having worked on it. Hopefully Crackdown 3 fills a slot in Microsoft’s otherwise lean first party portfolio, and can become a familiar part of it going forward. My interest in the game is piqued after Microsoft confirmed it won’t have microtransactions or loot boxes. Crackdown 3 launches for Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs on February 15, 2019.