Microsoft has explained why Crackdown 2 has gone to start-up Ruffian Games, and not to original developer Realtime Worlds. It’s mainly because designer Billy Thomson left.
Corporate execs felt it could only be ”correctly nurtured” by the ”right team who really understood” what Crackdown was, and that was Thomson and his Ruffian Games studio.
”When Billy Thomson, the lead designer of the game, left Realtime Worlds, there was an opportunity,” explained Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, reports OXM.
There was also huge concern at Microsoft Game Studios that Realtime Worlds was too busy with their APB MMO to devote enough attention and passion into Crackdown’s sequel. When Billy Thomson left and joined the Ruffian guys it was the cherry on top for Microsoft.
”I wanted to make sure that anything we work on is correctly nurtured… we had to find the right team who really understood what game it is and that was Billy and the team at Ruffian,” continued Spencer.
Crackdown 2, which has huge things to live up to and surpass, will be Ruffian Games first ever released title. Let’s hope for all our sakes that Thomson and co at the new developer can blow our minds again… I miss those peace keepers and their fancy tower.
See the debut trailer below for Crackdown 2.
