Crackdown 3 Still Needs More Work, Xbox Boss Says

Crackdown 3 was originally set to launch in 2016. It was later delayed to 2017 and then again to 2018; it was delayed a third time to its current release date in February 2019. Microsoft showed a new, Terry Crews-filled trailer for the game at E3 2018, but the company hasn't said much about it since.

So how's it shaping up?

Xbox boss Phil Spencer said on Twitter that he recently played a "full" version of game. While it appears to be coming together, Spencer said it still needs "more work." On the bright side, Spencer--who is in the business of selling you games--said he thinks Crackdown 3 succeeds in fulfilling the fantasy of being a "wrecking machine." This is likely a reference to the game's heavily touted destruction systems.

Crackdown 3 was at one point in development at three different studios: Reagent Games, Sumo Digital, and Cloudgine. However, for various reasons, now only Sumo is working on the game.

Cloudgine was founded by Crackdown creator David Jones, who was also working on Crackdown 3 until Fortnite studio Epic acquired Cloudgine. Jones now works at Epic as its director of eSports and cloud technology. Cloudgine created a proprietary cloud system that is said to have contributed significantly to Crackdown 3's hyped-up destruction system.

Microsoft executive Matt Booty strongly suggested that Crackdown 3 will no longer use the Cloudgine technology, presumably due in part to Epic's acquisition of Cloudgine. Asked directly by Polygon if Crackdown 3 will use Cloudgine's tech or Microsoft's cloud systems for Crackdown 3, Booty avoided the question. "You know, I'm not going to get into the actual technical breakdown," he said. "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."

Crackdown 3's destruction elements were at one point touted as the game's standout features. Jones, who again is no longer working on Crackdown 3, said a while back that he thought the game's multiplayer experience "will redefine what it feels like to play games."

As for Reagent Games, the status of the studio is in question. The studio has not tweeted since January 2017 and its website appears to be offline. What's clear is the studio is no longer working on Crackdown 3, as Booty confirmed this in June.

Crackdown 3 is scheduled to launch in February 2019 for Xbox One and PC, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get to play it at no extra cost. Are you still looking forward to Crackdown 3? Let us know in the comments below!