Crackdown 3 is skipping Christmas, delayed until next spring

Despite playing a big part in Microsoft's Xbox showcase at E3 this year, you can officially take Crackdown 3 off your Christmas list. Publisher Microsoft has just dropped the news that it won't be ready to release until spring 2018. 

"We want to make sure to deliver the right game, with the right quality, and at the right time," Microsoft's Shannon Loftis told Polygon. "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."

It's a bit awkward, as this is the second time the game has been delayed: it was officially announced way back at E3 2014, a time when we were still on the first Hunger Games movie and Donald Trump was just the guy on The Celebrity Apprentice.

The delay is an especially big deal for the Xbox One X, and anyone trying to sell them, because Crackdown 3 was the notable, shining exclusive for launch day. Not that Microsoft would admit that. "The Xbox One X launch lineup will be one of the greatest lineups of games ever available with a major new console release," Loftis added. "Not only are there several new Xbox exclusives such as Forza Motorsport 7, Cuphead, Super Lucky’s Tale, and the console launch exclusive PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, there is an incredible list of titles coming this holiday."

Rachel Weber
Managing Editor, US

Rachel Weber is the US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.