Rockstar Games have acquired British video game studio Ruffian Games, and rebranded the studio as Rockstar Dundee. As per Companies House listings, the acquisition went through earlier in the month, and the rebranding followed shortly afterward.

Ruffian Games, in case the name doesn’t ring a bill, were the developers of Crackdown 2, and have also provided development support for titles such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Crackdown 3 (or, more specifically, its multiplayer component, Wrecking Zone).

It remains to be seen what exactly the new Rockstar Dundee’s role will be in the larger Rockstar organization, but I’d say you can at least expect them to get on that Grand Theft Auto Online support train right away.

As of last year, Ruffian Games have already been working on unannounced projects in development at Rockstar, which were described by job listings as “multiplayer action games.”  You can read more on that through here.

343 Industries may have Halo Infinite releasing next year but the studio has also been busy working on Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC. While various testing flights have been happening for Halo: Reach on PC, it seems we’re a ways off from a full release of the collection. Community director Brian Jarrard responded to a user on Twitter, saying all of the games will release “when they’re ready”.

“We’ve never said anything about all the games arriving on PC this year. We’ve been consistently saying they’re ready when they’re ready. We certainly hope Reach arrives by end of year but much depends on flighting outcomes – when it’s ready, it’ll launch.”

A newsletter that confirmed all games were releasing this year was circulated after the collection’s announcement. However, that was from Splash Damage, one of the developers helping on the PC release. Otherwise, 343 Industries never officially committed to a 2019 release date for all games.

That’s a bummer but considering how many issues the collection had at launch for Xbox One, it’s for the best. Halo: The Master Chief Collection won’t be available all at once when it inevitably releases either. First, Halo: Reach will release followed by the first game up till Halo 4, each game costing $10 standalone. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Hey Josh, we’ve never said anything about all the games arriving on PC this year. We’ve been consistently saying they’re ready when they’re ready. We certainly hope Reach arrives by end of year but much depends on flighting outcomes – when it’s ready, it’ll launch.

— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) October 31, 2019

With the PS5 and the Xbox Scarlett now a year away from launch, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that major third party developers and publishers are already working on games for next-gen hardware. And it seems one of those developers is Ruffian Games, who, more specifically, seem to be working on upcoming games by Rockstar Games in a support capacity.

Ruffian Games recently took to Twitter to talk about a bunch of job openings at their studio for “multiplayer action games developed for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and future platforms.” In the update listing their openings, they mention that there isn’t much information available on what this game is – which doesn’t come as a surprise, since it’s a Rockstar games – but the studio also teases that “given Rockstar’s portfolio, it should be reasonably simple to make an educated guess or two.”

Though Bully 2 seems to be out of the question, given recent reports, there are some other possibilities. Reports emerged not too log ago, stating that Grand Theft Auto 6 was in development at Rockstar. Meanwhile, it’s also possible that they could be working on a next-gen port of Red Dead Redemption 2, which is in line for its PC release next month. Either way, we know that something is in the works- hopefully, it won’t be too long before we find out what that is.

We're #Hiring! https://t.co/W5YqjZODIJ

— Ruffian Games (@RuffianGames) October 11, 2019

The latest episode of Inside Xbox may have just begun, but Microsoft is dropping bombs already, confirming that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be coming to PC, as has been rumoured for a while now. Interestingly, it will be available on the Windows Store and Steam. It will also include Halo: Reach and the base version of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Though the games will be enhanced for PC (including 60 FPS gameplay, 4K resolutions, and HDR), you won’t have all of them available at once. Community director Brian Jarrard revealed that The Master Chief Collection will be released in phases on PC. Halo: Reach will be out first, followed by Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, the campaign for Halo 3: ODST, and then Halo 4.

This approach is being done to ensure that each game is handled properly. “We’re embarking on a journey with our community to build a PC experience that delivers on PC gamer expectations. The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all of the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC,” revealed Jarrard. 343 Industries is also working with studios like Ruffian Games (Crackdown 2) and Splash Damage (Dirty Bomb) to get the PC version running smoothly.

There’s currently no release date or pricing details, but there’s more information on Halo Waypoint in the meantime. Stay tuned for more information, especially at SXSW 2019 on March 17th.

If you want more proof that Crackdown 3 is actually going to come out for real this time—five years after its announcement, and after almost as many delays—then we have more good news for you. Microsoft has, at last, shared the requirements needed to run the PC version of the game on the title’s Windows Store page.

On the whole, this seems like it will require at least a mid-range PC. It’s better off than a lot of Microsoft games, which need bleeding edge specs to run on PC (although Sea of Thieves famously had a mode that would let it run even on weak machines), but you still need a decently specced up kit if you’re going to be playing this game on your computer.

Crackdown 3 will be playable at X018, which, yes, again is indication the game is near completion. Also more smoke signalling the fire—the game has received a rating at the Australian ratings board. Interestingly enough, it may also be about to get an eleventh hour title change.

Crackdown 3 launches in February 2019 for PC and Xbox One.

Crackdown 3 Official PC Requirements

Minimum

• OS Xbox One, Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher
• Architecture x64
• Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
• Mouse Integrated Mouse
• DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11
• Memory 8 GB
• Video Memory 2 GB
• Processor Intel i5 3470 | AMD FX-6300
• Graphics Geforce 750 Ti | Radeon R7 260X
• Notes Windows 10 version 14393.222 or higher recommended;X64 Required;Intel i5 3470 | AMD FX-6300;Geforce 750 Ti | Radeon R7 260X

Recommended

• OS Xbox One, Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher
  Architecture x64
• Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
• Mouse Integrated Mouse
• DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11
• Memory 8 GB
• Video Memory 4 GB
• Processor Intel i5 4690 | AMD FX-8350
• Graphics Geforce 970 or Geforce 1060 | Radeon R9 290X or Radeon RX 480
• Notes Windows 10 version 14393.222 or higher recommended;X64 Required;Intel i5 4690 | AMD FX-8350;Geforce 970 or Geforce 1060 | Radeon R9 290X or Radeon RX 480

Man, the big announcements seem to all be getting leaked ahead of the planned X018 event, don’t they? We already have rumors about a Microsoft acquisition of Obsidian, we have leaks of Age of Empires and Rise of Nations coming to the Xbox One, and now, apparently, a renaming of Crackdown 3 has also been outed.

A Reddit user seems to have noticed that Crackdown 3’s store listing on the Italian Xbox Store has changed to say Crackdown 3: New Providence. You can see a screenshot of this below. This seems to indicate that the game has gained a subtitle, and will no longer be simply called Crackdown 3. Which, honestly, given the long, torturous development cycle this game has had, and just how long fans have been waiting for it, and just how many times it has been delayed, might be a good thing—it sort of sheds the baggage a bit for it, especially if people start referring to it by the subtitle, which is probably one of the things Microsoft is hoping for if the name change is real.

If it is, we will find out this weekend at X018. Meanwhile, we can at least be sure that the game is due to launch very soon—it got rated on the Australian board, and ratings are usually right at the end of the process, as a game gets near release. That release is planned for February 22, 2019 for the Xbox One and PC.

Crackdown 3’s development, besought with delays and multiple instances of the game disappearing from the public eye, has been so fractured that it’s hard to keep track of just what the game will and will not be at this point. For instance, the title was originally announced as a showcase for the cloud gaming technology Microsoft was pushing at the time, with cloud powered destruction far beyond what you could achieve with local computation in its multiplayer mode.

But we haven’t seen that in a while—so will it actually still be in the final game, currently scheduled to hit in February next year? According to insider Klobrille, who has previously leaked Microsoft’s acquisition of Playground Games, as well as the yet-to-be-confirmed acquisition of Obsidian– yes, it will be. It will “100%” be in the final game when it comes out, he confirmed in a tweet made on his account.

While he obviously has a good track record, it is important to remember that this is for now an unsubstantiated rumor—it’s best to take it with the requisite pinches of salt until we have official confirmation either way. Crackdown 3 launches for PC and Xbox One on February 22, 2019.

#RoadToCrackdown3 The development of CD3 is essentially the story of building two completely unique experiences. Sumo Digital – Campaign (SP offline or online Co-op for four players). Ruffian Games – Wrecking Zone multiplayer that features 100% destruction (yes, they did it).

— Klobrille (@klobrille) October 24, 2018

Paradox Interactive’s Hollowpoint, developed by Ruffian Games, has been fairly quiet with the details since it was last seen at E3 2015. However, it seems that Ruffian is no longer working on the game and its agreement with Paradox is over. In fact, as per Eurogamer, Ruffian ceased working with the publisher as of last Summer.

A spokesperson for Paradox told GameWatcher, “Today we would like to announce that the working relationship between Paradox Interactive and Ruffian Games on ‘Hollowpoint’ has been amicably terminated.

“After recent ongoing discussions between the two companies, it became apparent to both parties that the creative vision for the project was diverging and so the decision was ultimately taken to cease our co-operation in order to serve the long-term interests of the game.

“We would like to thank Ruffian Games for all their hard work and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours. Paradox will be re-evaluating the creative direction of ‘Hollowpoint’ internally before making any final decisions.”

Thoughts on the future of Hollowpoint? Let us know in the comments.

A story trailer for Ruffian Games’ Hollowpoint, an upcoming four player co-op shooter published by Paradox Interactive, has been released. Along with gameplay from the 2D/3D action hybrid, the trailer actually sets up the story for the events that drive Hollowpoint.

“Hollowpoint” is the term used for mercenaries hired by Mega Corporations, giant corporations formed following the collapse of governance in the future. The dominance of said corporations actually came in the wake of increased robotisation of jobs and the outbreak of World War III – not to mention the degradation of the Earth – leading to the rise of Hollowpoints.

Players will team up in squads of four and can buy different weapons and items while upgrading their character’s skills in order to complete the task at hand. Hollowpoint’s levels are procedurally generated, which ensures you’ll never have the same mission twice.

Hollowpoint will be out on PS4 and PC this year.

Hollowpoint is currently set to be published with Paradox Interactive. The game is being developed for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Characters

Development

Ruffian Games are working on Hollowpoint with development of the title being focused on the PlayStation 4 and PC.  The game uses a semi-procedural generation mechanic with pre designed rooms being piece together to form a stage when the game begins, the objective are then randomly generated (most likely from a pre determined list of objectives) and inserted into the newly generated mission.

Ruffian Games are just coming off working on the recently released Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which saw them working with 343 Industries. The only hint of Hollowpoint came when Ruffian said, “Yes! We’re working on Halo 3 and Halo 4 with 343 Industries as part of the Master Chief Collection. No! We can’t say much more than that.”

Story

It’s the 22nd century and “Mega Corporations” are engaged in corporate warfare. These Mega Corps are hiring mercenary groups, just like yours, and you’re more than willing to take their money. Ultimately, your goal is to raise the biggest and best mercenary group possible.

At this time, it’s not yet known if there’s going to be a narrative that runs through Hollowpoint. Given that the game makes use of tactical combat and semi-procedurally generated stages and objectives, it’s entirely possible that the game won’t feature a plot and will instead focus on gameplay.

Gameplay

Hollowpoint is a 2.5D side scrolling shooter with aiming that is “blended seamlessly with 3D targeting into the depth of the scene.” The game is said to incorporate tactical actions that ties into the game’s combat which is based on fighting your way through a stage that is comprised of semi-procedurally generated rooms with randomly chosen objectives.

While the game does feature a single player mode of play, it seems to be designed around cooperative gameplay comprising four player teams. The developer has said that a single wrong move can result in the death of your squad, to that end they have said that the key to success is the three A’s.

Assess, Anticipate, Advance. Assessing each scenario and the enemies you’re going to encounter will help you prepare. Anticipating the threats ahead and building your squad so that they have the right blend of weaponry, equipment, abilities and powerups will make for a safer encounter. Advancing forward and successfully moving through the stage and sticking to your plan is what will see you win the day.

“Long Term Progression” is the key, as you level up your operatives and your organization as a whole. A “deep upgrade system” will let you earn Skill Points that spent to level up operatives while the credits you earn are used to buy “market crates” alongside weapons and equipment.

Characters

At this time, it would appear the game doesn’t feature a cast of characters that are going to be characterised through the narrative. Instead it seems the squad will be introduced in manner similar to Breach and Clear where soldiers have names but no personalities attached to them.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.