Microsoft teases cloud-based Crackdown for Xbox One

Microsoft Studios vice president Phil Spencer has said that a brief glimpse of the Crackdown agility orb during the publisher's Xbox One reveal event in May wasn't accidental.

“Oh… Crackdown is one of my favorite games, and not just because it’s a Microsoft first-party game,” said Spencer to IGN.

“I have a lot of love for that franchise. The homage to Crackdown in the [May event] was… I know there was some, like, ‘Did we accidentally sneak that…?’ It wasn’t accidental. Definitely.”

Microsoft hasn't said anything officially about the future of the open-world sandbox game since Crackdown 2 was released in 2010, but Spencer added that he doesn't think the series has been retired. “No, I don’t think Crackdown is dead at all," he said.

Earlier this month, Spencer said Crackdown will return with the "right team and time."

Spencer continued to say how Crackdown might work on Xbox One, suggesting that Microsoft would make use of its cloud services to make a persistent open world for a Crackdown 3. “It’s a franchise that’s still close to me. I think there’s a lot of room, especially… For me, the natural progression for a game like Crackdown--and you see this showing up on our stage--is in these living, open worlds that live in the cloud.”

Crackdown 2 was developed by Ruffian Games, while the 2007 original was handled by the now-closed Realtime Worlds.