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‘Crackdown 3’ Release Date Delayed To 2017 After E3 Absence

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 07:46 PST, Jul 19, 2016

The Crackdown 3 release date will not be in 2016 after all, and it’s not due to Microsoft’s crowded release schedule. A recent reveal offered insight into why the game not only ended up missing at E3 2016 — much like Red Dead Redemption 2 — but will be delayed until at least 2017.

Crackdown was one of the best open-world action games on the Xbox 360 for its time. You were given the ability to jump super high and destroy things with super-strong fists and a variety of weapons, making you feel like a cross between Marvel’s Punisher and Hulk characters. Its sequel was a massive letdown due to being too similar to the original game, feeling more like a “Crackdown 1.5” than a sequel, according to several critics.

Many blamed the lack of Crackdown 3 at E3 2016 on a schedule conflict pushing its release date into next year, but Microsoft Studios general manager Shannon Loftis revealed something more akin to RockStar Games’ GTA V hurdles.

“To be honest, because we obviously have this Crackdown Online mode and then we also have the traditional Crackdown campaign, which has multiplayer online … [we] want to launch our online beta so that it’s not too far in advance of the complete campaign. It’s actually the campaign that we’re doubling down on now. We’ve got internal play sessions every week for Crackdown Online.”

Basically, they’re attempting to put everything they can into the final game so it’s worthy of actually being called Crackdown 3 on its release date. Microsoft doesn’t want to make another sequel which feels like the same thing all over again.

“We’re starting now to get the campaign in. Building these open world games is both challenging and a blast, because you have to build all of the systems that interact together [before] you get to the point where you can actually experience what the game feels like and can start building your missions and telling your stories.”

One of those systems involves something seen in titles like InFamous: Second Son and Watch Dogs. They’re calling it a “hate table,” where your actions will affect how characters in the game react to you. Gangs will be more violent toward you if you destroy too much on their turf, for example. You will need to watch what you do, because there will be consequences much like the first Crackdown, where being a jerk toward citizens actually cost you points used to power yourself up.

By the Crackdown 3 release date, the consequences will be more harsh, as gangs will team up to stop you if you anger them enough. It will almost mirror the real-world social media reactions of today, where one wrong move could earn you a societal dog-pile from certain groups.

Shannon Loftis is determined not to make Crackdown 3‘s release date another letdown.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had something like that. It’s just starting to come online. We have lots of time to put together our missions. I don’t like letting gamers down and asking them to wait, but I’m also kind of proud of giving developers the time they need.”

It’s all really a juggling act. Loftis says Microsoft is choosing to let fans down in order to deliver a better game in the end.

What do you think? Is the delay of Crackdown 3‘s release date worth the extra effort?

[Image via Microsoft]

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