Among the many games that saw changes at E3 2018 was Sumo Digital’s Crackdown 3. Not only has the game changed quite a bit in the visuals department, but the development teams on-board are also different. Remember when Reagent Games and Cloudgine was front and centre upon the game’s reveal at Gamescom 2015?

Things are different this time around. Polygon spoke to Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty and confirmed that the immense destruction of the online multiplayer is still in place. However, it seems that original Crackdown creator David Jones is no longer on the project. Furthermore, Reagent Games wasn’t mentioned either.

Booty stated that, “We’re just working with Sumo [Digital] right now. That’s our main development partner. And as you know, I’m sure you know, any game has got a number of folks that come in to help us with content and some development, but Sumo’s our main…Sumo is our main partner on Crackdown.”

What about Cloudgine, the cloud technology that was behind the real-time destruction mode and – once again – a major talking point upon the first gameplay reveal? Booty simply said that, “You know, I’m not going to get into the actual technical breakdown. Let’s just say that we’ve got access to a great infrastructure, and the game’s got some great tech in it, and we’re going to put those two together in the way that makes the most sense.”

The loss of Jones is somewhat understandable – after Epic Games acquired Cloudgine in 2018, Jones left Reagent Games to work as Director of Cloud Strategy. However, the fact that Microsoft doesn’t seem to be placing too much emphasis on Cloudgine for the cloud-powered destruction makes you wonder.

Crackdown 3 is still in development for Xbox One and PC with a release date of February 22nd 2019.

Crackdown 3 was first teased in 2013, and announced in 2014. It has suffered multiple delays since, disappeared for months at a time at least twice, and the last time it got a full release date announced, it was unexpectedly delayed for over a year from then at the last moment. What I am trying to say is, the game has had a troubled development cycle.

It was due to launch this year- but Microsoft dropped the bad news that it would actually come out in February 2019 right before E3 this year. Which, yes, is another delay. Great. Why is this happening? Why is this game in particular taking so long to come out? Speaking to Polygon, Xbox First Party boss Matt Booty noted that Xbox games have often been released in various states of incompletion, and that this delay is to get it right with Crackdown 3– which, Booty notes, Microsoft wants as a tentpole franchise, along the likes of Gears and Halo.

“We really want to make games that have the opportunity to become a franchise that can sit next to Halo, sit next to Gears,” Booty said. “Now, that doesn’t mean that we want everyone of our studios to be an IP factory and that they all have to make sequels. That’s not at all what I’m saying. What I’m saying is we want a game to have the potential to give birth to a world that could expand, create characters that could have multiple iterations. We want that depth and that richness that could go on and do other things. We’ve just got to make sure that we give our games enough time to do that.”

To be fair, more delays are fine, as long as they are to ensure the game ends up being great- which means the onus is now on Crackdown 3 to prove itself as a validation of Microsoft’s new approach. I suppose I just wish that other Microsoft games that got canceled had had a similar chance to cook in the oven, too.

It seems like the rumors were true after all- Crackdown 3 will be launching in February 2019, Microsoft has confirmed in a statement to Windows Central. Microsoft’s statement noted that the delay is to “ensure it delivers the experience” that fans deserve- which is an admirable sentiment, but, let’s look at the context.

This game was first teased in 2013, and then properly announced in 2014. It was supposed to have a multiplayer beta in 2015. At GamesCom 2015, we saw a multiplayer destruction demo for the game, and then the game went silent completely. The multiplayer beta did not happen, though Microsoft promised it for 2016. That also did not happen. In 2017, Microsoft finally showed the game’s single player at E3 2017, also announcing it for a November 7 2017 launch, alongside the Xbox One X.

That also did not happen. The game was delayed to “Spring 2018”, and as we now know, it has been further delayed from Spring into February 2019.

Ordinarily, the fact that an actual release month has been specified would help you feel more secure about the new release window, but- we had an actual release date before. It got delayed twice from there, for over a year beyond that date. It will have been five years since the game’s official announcement in 2019- at this point, there is no way this game justifies the endless delays, and the incessant hype. At this point, it’s hard to know that this won’t end up being another release date that it won’t just miss.

Crackdown 3 is due out (I hope) on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs in February 2019.

If you haven’t noticed already, lots and lots of rumours gain traction around E3 time. For months now, news for Crackdown 3 has been awaited especially when it was delayed from last year. Microsoft hasn’t said much so when one Reddit user reported that his Amazon Spain pre-order was cancelled (and wrongly assumed this applied for all pre-orders), rumours went around about Crackdown 3 being delayed or possibly cancelled.

Jez Corden of Windows Central said on Twitter that it may have been delayed out of 2018 “based on what I’ve been hearing from a few places”. However, he was ultimately unsure and would ask Microsoft for a response. He added the game wasn’t cancelled at all which led to Aaron Greenberg, general manager for games marketing at Microsoft, providing an update.

“The team continues to work hard on the game for our fans, you should contact Amazon directly for any questions related to orders with them,” said Greenberg. The development team also confirmed to Greenberg that this was a “technical issue” on the side of Amazon and was currently being addressed.

So there you have it – Crackdown 3 is still very much alive, there’s still no release date and not all pre-order cancellations equal game cancellations. Will Crackdown 3 have something significant at E3 2018 to showcase? We’ll find out when Microsoft’s presser takes place on June 10th.

https://twitter.com/JezCorden/status/1001783079197855749

https://twitter.com/aarongreenberg/status/1001862382241464320

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It’s looking to be a rather dismal year for Microsoft which started out with Scalebound being cancelled, a number of exclusives launching in 2018 and Crackdown 3 dated for November but recently pushed to Spring 2018. With Microsoft offering more time to its development teams to polish the final product, what will happen to the launch of the Xbox One X, which launches on the same day that Crackdown 3 was supposed to?

According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter on whether the delay would impact the console’s launch in any way, “Delays are pretty regular and to be expected. The game isn’t done, and the delay isn’t really very long, probably six to eight months. Not an issue at all, if people are buying Xbox One X for Crackdown, they’ll buy it in March instead of November.”

Pachter then pretty much stated it plainly that Crackdown 3’s delay will not affect the Xbox One X’s sales at launch. “I don’t think Xbox One X sales are going to be very high in the first place because of price, and don’t think a six to eight month delay for Crackdown makes any material difference,” he said to GamingBolt.

To be fair, Microsoft has been pushing the Xbox One X as a niche product in the first place rather than a brand new console. Whether Crackdown 3 would have been enough to push sales especially when it’s coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 as well remains unknown. Regardless, the Xbox One X will be out on November 7th and retails for $499.

Microsoft’s Crackdown 3 has been delayed again. The open world action title was meant to release on November 7th but will now arrive in Spring 2018.

In a statement to Polygon, Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager Shannon Loftis noted that the development teams – namely Reagent Games, Sumo Digital and Cloudgine – were receiving more time to product a better experience. Loftis also noted that getting the balance right between the game’s core modes, namely campaign, co-op and multiplayer, was important and warrant additional development time.

“We’re very excited about Crackdown 3, and so are many fans, and so it’s a difficult call to move the release date. However, we want to make sure to deliver the right game, with the right quality, and at the right time. Crackdown 3 is a hugely ambitious game and we want to ensure we deliver the right experiences all the way through every part of the game, whether that’s campaign, co-op multiplayer or our competitive multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone.”

Loftis also noted that the game was “incredibly ambitious” with its 4K visuals, cloud computing multiplayer and huge open world. “The team has been working extremely hard to deliver a great experience for fans and this extra time will help us do just that.”

Crackdown 3 was initially announced at E3 2014 with its multiplayer beta due in Summer 2016. The game was instead delayed to 2017 with the actual release date confirmed at Microsoft’s E3 2017 presser. As it stands, there’s clearly a lot that Microsoft is trying to do with the game so we’ll see if it’s massive ambition will actually pay off.

Reagent Games’ Crackdown 3 has a fairly decent single-player campaign but you it’s possible to run through it without much problem. Campaign developer Sumo Digital spoke to PC Games N about the same and explained some of the single-player mode’s aspects.

Basically, the premise is to fight the main baddie TerraNova Kingpin. Since the game is non-linear and open world, you can challenge him straight off. Even if there’s a power difference, it’s possible to end the story by beating him. This becomes even easier if you bring in a powerful agent and start a new game.

Sumo Digital said that, “That’s what we’re doing internally, and we can guarantee that’s what other people will do as well.” And while the main story can be finished in 12 to 16 hours, the developer said that QA testers managed to complete it in 2.5 hours without the collectibles.

Crackdown 3 arrives on November 7 alongside the Xbox One X and will also be available for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.

If you were worried about the distinct lack of destruction in Crackdown 3 when it was revealed for Xbox One at Microsoft’s presser, then don’t worry. As Microsoft Studios Publishing GM Shannon Loftis, destruction is still a big part of the multiplayer.

Loftis noted on Twitter that, “For those asking…Destruction is still part of Crackdown 3 Multiplayer. Today you saw campaign, for the 1st time ever. More on MP soon!!”

Reagent Games and Cloudgine have noted before that Crackdown 3’s destructible environments will be toned down in single-player so that would explain the recent demonstration we saw. Have no fear though – elements like carjacking and even transforming cars will be in the game as per Loftis.

She also confirmed that the cloud-powered destruction that was such a big part of past demonstrations was still in. We’ll have to wait for more information on multiplayer in the meantime. Crackdown 3 is out on November 7th for Xbox One, Xbox One X and Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft’s Crackdown 3 hasn’t had a wealth of information since being revealed at GDC 2015, especially when the multiplayer beta skipped its Summer 2016 date. The project was subsequently delayed to this year but now the official Twitter is teasing more information in the coming months.

As per a recent tweet, “2017 is shaping up to be great! Crackdown 3 info is on the horizon, and we’re ready to bring the boom!”

Could this be related to the upcoming Project Scorpio reveal on Thursday, April 6th? The developer clarified that, “We have no insight in to what other teams are working on, but Crackdown news will start rolling out BIG TIME in the coming months.”

E3 2017 is looking like a safe bet, specifically on June 11th when Microsoft’s presser takes place. Perhaps we’ll finally receive a release date or at least some gameplay. Regardless, stay tuned – as always – for more information in the coming months.

Remember ‘the power of the cloud’? That was the big thing that Microsoft and Xbox executives were touting for the Xbox One at the beginning of the generation. In the end, it all came to nothing, of course- while cloud gaming may some day happen in the future, our present day bandwidth infrastructure simply cannot support it.

There were going to be a lot of cloud powered games, that would make the Xbox One far more powerful than the PS4. In the end, it will be just one game that utilizes the cloud in any meaningful way- the upcoming Crackdown 3. But of course, there’s nervousness that the game will either be cancelled, or reduced in scope and vision, given recent developments at Microsoft.

However, taking to Twitter, Xbox head Phil Spencer decided to dispel some worries that fans have about the upcoming game. Responding to a fan, he said that the game is ‘very fun,’ enemies are ‘diverse,’ and that the world feels very ‘alive.’ He also said that the cloud tech used for the game is apparently coming along well.

Let’s hope it is. And let’s hope that we get to play the game on Xbox One by the end of this year.