Don't call Crackdown on Xbox One Crackdown 3
Plus, Scalebound CGI trailer "is the game".
Don't call Crackdown on Xbox One Crackdown 3 - it's something of a reboot.
That's what Microsoft Studios creative director Ken Lobb, who is working on the new game, told Eurogamer at E3.
You might have noticed that when Microsoft announced Crackdown during its E3 press conference, it didn't call it Crackdown 3, despite it being the third game in the open world science-fiction series.
"You can blame me for 20 per cent of that," Lobb said.
"I don't like X game number seven. It's a good idea sometimes to have a game with a subtitle. But some games, and Crackdown is a perfect example, is it really 3? It is the future. This is a different place, long after the original game. But is it 2? Is it a different universe than 2? Yeah, it's kinda a sequel to 1.
"It's Crackdown."
It's still early days for the new Crackdown, and Microsoft is yet to reveal gameplay footage or who will be doing the heavy lifting of development. But we do know it features co-op, as fans of the series expect, as well as a new competitive experience.
According to Microsoft, Crackdown on Xbox One features "unrivaled verticality, cooperative mayhem and destruction".
"Whether you're playing the Campaign with friends or enjoying an entirely new competitive Crackdown experience powered by Xbox Live, you'll never look at an open-world game the same way again."
We also know that Dave Jones, who directed the first game for Xbox 360 at his now closed studio Realtime Worlds, is on board. Jones' latest company, Cloudgine, is working with Microsoft Studios on the game. Cloudgine specialises in cloud gaming technology and using data centres to boost computationally intensive game components such as physics and AI.
"Crackdown is my favourite game of all time," Lobb said. "I absolutely love Crackdown 1. I just love it. I've known Dave forever. I worked with him when I was at Nintendo. When I first came to Microsoft they'd already signed Crackdown. I was like, perfect, I know Dave. So, we took a while and made Crackdown 1. Crackdown 2 we kinda rushed. Sorry. I liked it. It wasn't Crackdown 1.
"He went off and did APB, did some other stuff, but we've always stayed in touch. We've always wanted to redo it, and he finally got together with these guys and we were like, okay, great, awesome. Then Phil [Spencer, Xbox boss] started Tweeting and wearing T-shirts."
Crackdown for Xbox One leans heavily on cloud computing to help the game simulate destruction in the open world.
This technique was shown off before E3 via a demo, below, created for Microsoft's developer-focused Build 2014 conference. It shows how the cloud can make the destruction of a building, for example, faster and smoother. The fancy Crackdown trailer, above, also features a building being destroyed. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that the Build demo is early Crackdown work.
Will the new Crackdown feature the level of destruction suggested by the CGI trailer? For now, Microsoft is keeping its cards close to its chest. Microsoft Studios Europe boss Phil Harrison told Eurogamer more information on gameplay - and the team behind it - will be shared in the future.
"There had been speculation, which is always great," he said. "Phil Spencer had been dropping some pretty monumental hints about it for a while. He's been very clear, which is we wanted to bring that franchise up to the 21st Century with the right developer. I think having Dave with his hands on the steering is great. But he will be joined by a substantial team and organisation to bring that vision to life."
Meanwhile, Microsoft Studios is also working with Bayonetta and Vanquish maker Platinum and its celebrated game director Hideki Kamiya for Xbox One exclusive action adventure Scalebound.
"I've always loved Platinum," Lobb said. "18 months ago we started talking with them, and then we signed them last year. And finally we got to the point where we can announce. I love those guys. Kamiya is awesome."
Like Crackdown, Scalebound was announced during Microsoft's E3 press conference with a CGI trailer, below, rather than a gameplay video.
"Scalebound transports you to a distant, hostile world," reads the official blurb. "You'll come face to face with fearsome creatures, including a formidable dragon - and the bond you forge with this awesome predator will prove crucial to the survival of both worlds."
The trailer shows a cocky protagonist who goes up against huge monsters before riding a dragon himself into battle with a hydra-like beast.
According to Lobb, the trailer is representative of the gameplay.
"That's the game," Lobb said. "It's a trailer, but that's the game. That's what you're going to do. You fight with a dragon, who is your friend."
