Realtime Worlds still in talks with Microsoft on Crackdown 2

Is a Crackdown 2 possibly still in the works? We’re hoping the answer to this would be a resounding yes. Okay, while we don’t exactly have that, we guess Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald’s statements that they are in “ongoing” discussions with Microsoft would have to do for now.

Is a Crackdown 2 possibly still in the works? We’re hoping the answer to this would be a resounding yes. Okay, while we don’t exactly have that, we guess Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald’s statements that they are in “ongoing” discussions with Microsoft would have to do for now.

First, a recap on why it was believed that Crackdown 2 is a long foregone Realtime possibility. Ruffian has recently acquired several staff of Realtime and is in fact looking around for a new office space in Scotland. Because of this manpower transfer, it was thought that Ruffian will be the new team working on Crackdown 2 with Microsoft. Apparently, nothing’s final yet.

Here’s what Dave Jones of Realtime Worlds has to say about the matter:

I just wanted to correct the rumours today surrounding Crackdown. Although to date we haven’t had an offer from Microsoft for the Crackdown sequel rumoured, we continue to have ongoing discussions with them. In the unfortunate event that there isn’t an agreement with RTW reached, Dave said he would “be gutted not to be involved, but if it had to be that way, I would want to see it done justice – by an established, renowned developer that had the track record of delivering the quality gaming experience Crackdown players would demand.”

In any event, I also very much doubt that Microsoft would harm an otherwise fruitful existing development relationship by gambling on funding Crackdown 2 with a startup on RTW’s doorstep, for obvious reasons.

Regarding the rumoured RTW departures, we believe that maybe five or six ex-Realtime Worlds staff have been employed by Ruffian in recent weeks. Whilst we’re always sad to lose any member of the RTW family, fans should rest assured that the vast majority of the Crackdown team remain at RTW, and our 200+ talented individuals are working hard towards APB being one of the biggest launches of 2009, as well as on an unannounced project that will cause quite a stir when unveiled.

Yes, that will certainly have to do for now. Hopefully we’ll hear more from them soon on this with clearer and better prospects.

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Via Videogaming247