Crackdown 3 delayed to February 2019 - three years beyond its initial release date

Terry Crews will not be WOO-ing with glee today: Xbox's highly-anticipated Crackdown 3 has been pushed from a spring 2018 release window, out of 2018 entirely, and is now slated for February 2019. More news will be revealed this weekend, as Crackdown 3 is among Xbox's E3 2018 games.

While a report published by Kotaku initially attributed the news to anonymous sources, Microsoft itself has since confirmed the news, sending the following statement to Windows Central:

"Our fans' response to the signature antics and explosive gameplay of Crackdown 3 has been incredible," the company said in a statement. "To ensure we deliver the experience they deserve, Crackdown 3 will be launching in Feb 2019. We look forward to sharing more on Crackdown 3 this Sunday during the Xbox E3 2018 briefing."

This is the third time Crackdown 3 has been delayed. Originally announced at E3 2014, it was first scheduled to arrive in 2016. Then, it was planned to release alongside the Xbox One X in November 2017. But alas, it was delayed again, to spring 2018. By the time Crackdown 3 hits shelves in February 2019, it'll be three years past the initial 2016 plans, and five years since its reveal.

In other words, Xbox owners have been waiting a long time for this, and it's hard not to feel a bit disappointed. This is especially crummy news considering how light Microsoft's first-party lineup has been lately, with only Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2 so far in 2018. And while those games are both pretty good, they're not generating the type of buzz something like a new Crackdown does.

Hopefully the company has some big titles to make up for the delay, and if the Xbox E3 rumors we've heard are true, that may very well be the case. Be sure to tune in Sunday to watch the E3 2018 press conferences and learn more.

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Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.