Interview: Crackdown 3’s executive producer talks cloud-based destruction, Xbox One X and more

During E3 last week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Crackdown 3's executive producer Steve Pritchard to clear up exactly how cloud-based destruction is being built into the game, as well as how the Xbox One X enhances the game, how Terry Crews came to be a part of the project, and how the game differs from the others in the franchise.

You can check out the entire interview transcript below!

Crackdown 3 will release as a launch title for Xbox One X on November 7th, 2017.

Tom: Crackdown 3 has been in up in the air for quite a long time. I think the last time we saw you guys was two E3’s ago. Obviously, Microsoft is making a big push for this with the Xbox One X. I want to talk about some of the technologies behind it. Last time we saw you guys you were talking about accessing remote servers and using that for that total destruction of the city. Has that changed? What is happening with that?

Steve: The campaign, in both single player and co-op, is an experience where the city is important; saving the city is important. For competitive multiplayer, that’s where our cloud-based destruction sits. In the campaign, you can play on your own without an internet connection if you choose.

Tom: So that cloud-based destruction is going to be solely for the multiplayer?

Steve: Competitive multiplayer. Bringing down a city on civilians? That’s not something we want to see you do. People you’re shooting and fighting? Yeah, we want some of that stuff. So it’s a deliberate choice from a design perspective.

Tom: This is launching the same day as the Xbox One X on November 7th. When you guys first got your hands on Project Scorpio, did that change anything in terms of development?

Steve: It just gives us more. More power, more raw things to do with. You’re looking at a more populated city; a denser degree of civilians and traffic. We can just throw more at it. And of course, you’ve got 4K. It’s true 4K and it looks stunning. So we’ve had a great deal of fun working out just how we can pep up the visuals. How we can make it really sing as well as making it a really dense experience.

Tom: Terry Crews is going to be involved in the game. Crackdown is the Terry Crews of video games. It’s a match made in heaven. When did he come onto the project, and what’s it been like working with him?

Steve: He asked if he could be in Crackdown. We didn’t approach him: he approached us. So you don’t say no. You’ll get to play him at some point in the game. We’ve loved it! We’ve absolutely loved being with him! He’s lent a great deal of humor to the project.

Tom: Is there anything specifically you want fans of the series or even newcomers to know that they can’t see in the trailer?

Steve: If you know Crackdown and you know the franchise, you know what it’s all about. You’re a super agent trying to take down a criminal organization. This is a little different to the original franchise in that the entire world you’re in is owned by a single corrupt corporation, a gang. And your job is to find them and bring them down and unlike the original game where you could go to a place and fight person X and person Y, you’ve got to discover our bosses and you’ve got to provoke them.

We have a system called 'Gangs Bite Back'. What you do there is whoever you poke and prod, they’ll respond. So you’re never quite sure where you’re going to find these people or whether they’re going to find you! So your game and my game will be totally different. It’s an exploration game, it’s a “go and kick their ass” game. But it’s “find best how to draw them out, and then kick their ass”. That’s the important part.