200°

Rumor: Microsoft Rejects Realtime Worlds, Chooses Ruffian to Develop Crackdown 2. What Does it Mean?

One of Microsoft's biggest third-party exclusives was Crackdown, which led to very good relations with Realtime Worlds. However, if the latest rumor is true, Microsoft's good relations with the developer could turn very bad.

We're talking PS3-exclusive bad.

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secondstorygamer.com
GiantEnemyCrab5575d ago

Nonsense. Ruffian has said the codename for the project is Crackdown 1.5 and I would say that is not a sequel. They could be doing some add-on or expansion for the original game. RTW has said they are negotiating with MS on a Crackdown sequel.

Why can't we wait for the actual truthful facts to come out before going on on some lame tangent that ends in the PS3 getting an exclusive?

Nowhere has it been stated that Microsoft rejected anything from RTW.

vhero5575d ago (Edited 5575d ago )

who says MS owns ALL the rights to the game?? i'm sure realtime own some of the rights anyways so it would be impossible for them to do so..

Cajun Chicken5575d ago (Edited 5575d ago )

Actually due to MS actually publishing Crackdown, they own the licence and the IP and it can only go elsewhere if they decide to sell it, much like Halo. Any IPs that weren't ever published by MS can hop around multiplatform and MS seems to allow devs to still make spin offs of the main IP for Nintendo consoles for some odd reason. See Blue Dragon.

The whole Mass Effect debacle is a lot harder to figure out due to the fact that Mass Effect was organised to be published by MS and Bioware got bought as a studio nearing the end of development for EA, EA then published the PC version and not MS...So...who owns the rights to Mass Effect?

But MS own Crackdown. Won't jump anywhere else, probably ever. Unless RTW buy the rights back with the money from APB, ala Crimson Skies IP being bought by the old owner of FASA studio.

AAACE55575d ago

I had high hopes for Crackdown when it first came out, but was dissappointed in the final product. It was OK to play, but didn't live up to my expectations.

zane5475575d ago

People asked those same questions about Final Fantasy 7. Sony published the console release and Eidos the PC, so who owns more/all rights? Difference here is the pc publisher now own the development studio responsible, but the answer is still the same.

The developer owns the IP.

The dispute stemmed from the fact that there was a rumour Microsoft had contracted Bioware to bring the trilogy as a 360 exclusive, and publish it themselves.

In this case, I really can't see them making that kind of business move with Crackdown unless somebody acquired Realtime Worlds, but in hindsight MS need more first party studios, I think they should acquire them themselves.

Cajun Chicken5575d ago

True to an extent, I would love Crackdown to go to the PS3 but due to having MGS stamped on it, much like Halo and other 360 exclusives, many haven't really gone multiplatform unless the publisher is a third party, I think that MS own that IP, much like Sony owning the rights to Ratchet, Resistance, Jak, Uncharted...etc.

But I'd love Crackdown on PS3, because that way I could have all 3 superpower sandbox games on on system, that would be great.

But I think much like Halo, MS own the IP of this one.

The Lazy One5575d ago

Realtime Worlds is making All Points Bulletin I thought?

Why would M$ want a company late in development of an original IP for their systems to stop everything they're doing and work on a sequel to a game that was mostly successful because it came with the halo 3 beta? Or even better, why would Realtime worlds want to stop work on an almost finished game to start over on a different one?

caladbolg7775575d ago

Agreed. This author is drawing a lot of terrible conclusions. Bubbs for the crabs.

RememberThe3575575d ago

Mass Effect is a good expamle. BioWare owned the IP yet MS published it for the 360. It just depends on on the agreement. That said, I'm pretty sure that MS owns the Crackdown IP, so they could put someone else on the sequel. However, I don't think MS would leave Realtime World hanging like that.

BISHOP-BRASIL5575d ago

@Cajun it's not a "the one who publish it, owns it" thing.

What happens is, MS don't own most second/third party games they publish, they offer the support to publish the game in their platform as a way to get part of the costs of the game, usually they also get the marketing costs, this is all down to contract. Not saying MS can't own the IP, I actually think they do for Crackdown, but in most cases, developers are smart enough with their IP to just license the title for publishing in a specific platform and time.

It's not that different from any exclusive contract. Nobody will offer you exclusivity for nothing, one of the most popular ways to make it is that console manufacturer have to spend the money for publishing and/or marketing, a pre determined amount of money, but the rules can vary too much in time, conditions as sell at least a set amount of copies or many other things. And I'm not even talking about paying further outright money for the exclusivity (BRIBE) be it under the contract or under the table. Money is always involved in exclusivity in some way, just like Sony payed the marketing in MGS4.

Good example of publishing but not owning is Ninja Gaiden, it belongs to Tecmo, don't matter if MS published NG 1 or 2, Tecmo could just release those games where they want with other publishers (even theirselves, since their aren't just developers).

That looks to be the case for Gear, rumors have been that there is a contract that MS has exclusivity on the publishing rights 'till a third game, or something like that, but IP belongs to Epic (don't know through if MS don't buy it because Epic don't want to sell, MS don't want to buy or if they will just before time expires), Epic just can't publish it as of now.

It's different from Halo. Bungie was under MS wing when they created Halo. Anything you discover/create under your work time/place/funds is property of the company/people you are working for.

This contract can be way too complex. Ask 2K, they had Bioshock for development for PS3 for so long, but held by contract on exclusive publishing on MS systems (I know, Take Two, as 2K, took the costs on publishing, but MS make most of the advertising) they couldn't tell you about multiplatform, even back when people find PS3 code in PC version, they keep denying.

So, as you can see, a usual part of a exclusivity contract is a term about keeping your mouth shut, that's why we usually don't know the details before a good chunk of time has passed.

Many have already told you that here, and I'll repeat, this is all why Sony is investing in first party and why MS needs to do too. Third party exclusive is costable, risk and a pain in the nut. That is also the reason Sony buys the IP from their own 2nd party developers even before they come out, as Ratchet in 2002 and LBP last year. They learned from Crash, once considered by many as a mascot to the system, was left behind when Naughty Dog left Universal Interactive Studios (another example, ND work, property of their boss Universal).

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 5575d ago
Pennywise5575d ago

Doh! I heard good things about Crackdown. Why would MS do this? It makes no sense.

labaronx5575d ago

1.paying close to 100 million in dlc for third party games.
2. Aquiring the Kings of RTS games, Ensemble Studios, for an undisclosed some and then closing the studio after 1 exclusive.
3. Not Paying to obtain Bioware before EA stepped in.

Not trying to start a flame war but, why buy ensemble and then close them after one game? Doesn't make sense to me!!!

JaggedSac5575d ago

M$ had owned Ensemble since 2001. Think before you post.

labaronx5575d ago

The point I was making was that RTS games sell fairly well on the PC market. If your not going to make Halo Wars for the PC why not bring the best RTS games that team ensemble was making and bring them over to 360 with a keyboard add on. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense? Microsoft could have locked up the RTS market for 360/PC?

pippoppow5575d ago

It sucks how these big companies swallow up the smaller talented Devs and then wind up closing them down. Seems like MS and EA have closed the most. What a shame.

FredFredrickson5575d ago

Microsoft is closing development studios down now? Which ones would those be?

Cajun Chicken5575d ago

Previously in past and start of this gen...
Digital Anvil - http://uk.pc.ign.com/articl...
FASA Studio - http://www.gamasutra.com/ph...

Recently...
Ensemble Studios- http://www.ensemblestudios....
ACES Studios- http://www.pcmag.com/articl...

I don't know how you have failed to see that MS have liquated most of their best first party inhouse devs. Inhouse are your friends...they only work for YOU. Not very clever closing them down.

FredFredrickson5575d ago

Closing down studios does not always mean that the people who were in them are let go. Oftentimes, dissolving a studio can bring some of the talented people from that studio into the fold of another, larger (and more capable) team.

I have no idea what Microsoft is doing with the people from these studios, but we're living in tough times, so I expect everyone to tighten things up.

DJ5575d ago

They only keep "some of the talented people", but what makes development studios so strong is the fact that they're TEAMS. Sure you can put a bunch of talented people together after their teammates have been laid off, but that doesn't necessarily lead to great games being made.

Looks like you're stuck in the corporate mindset of constantly consolidating rather than fostering.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 5575d ago
killzone2flop5575d ago

Rumor = BullSh*t = secondstorygamer.com.

lokiroo4205575d ago

Max Power,
He's the man who's name you'd love to touch,
But you mustn't touch!
His name sounds good in your ear,
But when you say it, you mustn't fear!
'Cause his name can be said by anyone!

Legendary-Status5575d ago (Edited 5575d ago )

crackdown was a sorry...game

005575d ago (Edited 5575d ago )

APB, or I'm I missing something?.

pixelsword5575d ago (Edited 5575d ago )

APB is an online massively multiplayer game that revolves around an ongoing turf war.

Crackdown is with a supercop in a GTA-ish world but on the other side of the law.

005575d ago

the article said they're going to focus more on Multipayer, so I assumed they were talking about APB and not actually crackdown itself.

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50°

Looking Back to 2007 and the controlled chaos of Crackdown on Xbox

Darren writes: "Despite much moaning and groaning, Xbox has had some smashing console exclusive games during its four generation lifespan. Crackdown was one such game, released in the early years of the Xbox 360"

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thexboxhub.com
isarai804d ago

Still one of my all time favorite games. It hurt to see what happened to Crackdown 3 😔

80°

Looking Back to 2010 with Crackdown 2 - Agent of Mayhem

Darren writes: "“XBOX NEEDS EXCLUSIVES!”. Sound familiar? It’s something that has been ringing in my ears since becoming an Xbox gamer nearly 20 years ago. It’s possibly the longest standing and harshest criticism levelled against Microsoft’s console family, and I can’t say I wholly disagree. However, there are some out there which can slip through the net every now and then. But bucking the trend was the original Crackdown, which was not one of them. It shifted a very healthy amount of units as well as drawing in universal praise from critics. A sequel then, would be a no-brainer."

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thexboxhub.com
IRetrouk1396d ago

It was basically crackdown 1 with zombies, was fun but corners were cut, solid game though.

Minute Man 7211396d ago

I'm still playing this, activating the beacons is a pain in the ass

IRetrouk1396d ago

Collecting those orbs and upgrading your character were addictive, it was just a shame they played it safe instead of going all out, didnt take anything away from how fun the game is though.

1396d ago
RamRod881395d ago

Crackdown 1 was one of the underrated gems of last gen. I loved that game. Crackdown 2 was crackdown 1 with added zombies and gave the map a paint job. Disappointing, but still enjoyed it for what it was with the added wingsuit, toybox mode and 4 player co-op. Crackdown 3 was basically what Crackdown 2 should have been.

290°

Crackdown 1 & 2 Are Currently Free on Xbox One

While it is unclear at this time whether its a glitch or intentional. Crackdown, and Crackdown 2 are now free for download on the Xbox store.

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lordsofgaming.net
b163o11477d ago (Edited 1477d ago )

🤣🤣🤣

mikeslemonade1477d ago

2 of the weakest graphical games

b163o11477d ago

Oh come on man, Out of all the games under M$.....really

King_Noctis1477d ago

Free is free. They could have done nothing and no one would have said anything.

So what’s the problem again?

xX-oldboy-Xx1477d ago

Sometimes it's better to do nothing, like in this case.

Or are they buttering people up for an xsx version of Crackdown 3? Re-Cracked perhaps?

King_Noctis1476d ago (Edited 1476d ago )

So let me get this straight, you think they are wrong for giving out free games to gamers?Do they force you to download the game? Are the free games expired after a set amount of time? Do they force people to buy an SX version of the game if it comes out?

You know I have seen many stupid comments over the year on this site, and yours is nearly on the top of that list, no offense.

xX-oldboy-Xx1476d ago

No they're not wrong - have at it. Just not a very worthwhile gesture. The games are old, average at best going by people's comments.

Have a crack mate, don't hold back - you couldn't upset or offend me if you tried.

And if you didn't pick up, the second part of my comment was in jest. But you lit are very defensive about ms and their pro-consumer attitude these days.

Lighten up champ - gonna be a long gen ahead haha

Casepb1477d ago

Crackdown 1 was always free.

isarai1477d ago

Yeah this, grabbed it like two years ago. Wish there was a way to play the X-enhanced version on PC

1477d ago
Abnor_Mal1477d ago

Stay at home initiative? Not everyone has Gamepass.

Ulf1477d ago

Crackdown 1 was a *great* game.

franwex1477d ago

Crackdown 1 was fun 13 years ago. Somewhat still fun today

Crackdown 2 sucks.

Crackdown 3 is like Crackdown 1, but with better graphics.

Play Crackdown 3. It’s a fun weekend game.

DARK_WOLF1477d ago

Crackdown 3 shouldv never existed. Of all the games microsoft couldve poured money into making they chose this.

Simply as a marketing game to show off their 'cloud' tech. Sure wasnt made for xbox fans but they tried to shove it down our throats for 5 years regardless.

No thanks.

Kribwalker1477d ago

agreed. crackdown 3 was a fun quick romp

Godmars2901477d ago

@DARK_WOLF:
CD3 exists as an attempt to showcase a version of cloud supported gaming. That said version fell apart is besides the point.

hamburgerhill1476d ago

I wish they would have just done a Crackdown 1 remake with extras instead of Crackdown 3. All those years wasted on a game that for me felt like anything but crack down.

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