Crackdown 3 has been having a hard time getting across the finish line. Originally revealed back at E3 2014, Crackdown 3 was shooting for release sometime in the back half of 2016, until E3 2017 (where it re-emerged in a bizarre Terry Crews fueled trailer). It was then set to launch on Nov. 7th 2017. This new delay pushes the title back further to ‘Spring 2018’. According to Shannon Loftis, Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager, this delay is to to give development teams Reagent Games, Sumo Digital, and Cloudgine extra time to ensure a quality experience. Loftis said in an email interview with Polygon:
“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. Getting the balance right between the three modes is important, and we are going to take the extra development time to ensure that. Gamers can expect Crackdown 3 in Spring of 2018.”
I can only see this as good thing. To be honest, I haven’t been too impressed with what I’ve seen of the game so far. I have very fond memories of playing both of the previous Crackdown games co-op with some buddies, so I was looking forward to continuing that tradition. However, it’s extremely disappointing to hear that Crackdown 3’s biggest new feature, the ‘destructible environments’ is limited to a specific multiplayer mode, instead of being fully baked into the game across all modes. Hopefully this extra time can help give the game a bit more polish so we can collect those sweet orbs all over again.