Crackdown 3 Delayed Again, This Time to 2018

The long-awaited action game Crackdown 3 has been delayed by Microsoft until next year. The title was scheduled to release alongside the company’s powerful Xbox One X console on November 7th, but players will now have to wait until spring of 2018. This delay only adds to Xbox’s first-party problem, but Microsoft is confident the change is for the best.

“We’re very excited about Crackdown 3, and so are many fans, and so it’s a difficult call to move the release date,” Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager Shannon Loftis told Polygon. “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.”

Crackdown 3 was originally announced at E3 2014 with a release window of late 2016. It has had quite the complicated development, and its team is now focusing on the “visual polish” of the game’s open world.

“We want [players] to really feel the larger-than life enemies as they’re exploring the expansive open world, combatting crime, and collecting orbs,” said Loftis.

Crackdown 3 was arguably the biggest launch title for Xbox One X, so a lot of people are wondering where this leaves the console’s lineup. Loftis pointed to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which is making its console debut on the upcoming X. She also listed a few Xbox-exclusives and new titles “enhanced to play better on Xbox One X.” The powerhouse console will definitely have its fair share of games, but fans are a little less excited now that Crackdown 3 won’t make it until 2018.

What do you think of the Crackdown 3 delay? Big blow to the Xbox One X or predictable and no big deal in the long run? Let us know in the comments below!