Dave Jones, the creator of the Crackdown series, is no longer involved with the Crackdown 3. According to a report from Polygon, Jones left his role in crafting the game earlier this year when Epic Games announced it had acquired Cloudgine, a company Jones founded and which also provided the cloud computing brains behind Crackdown 3's main attraction: its detailed destructible environments.
Jones now serves as director of cloud and esports strategies at Epic.
From the moment Crackdown 3 was announced, Microsoft emphasized the incredibly detailed way in which cloud computing would enhance the game's destructible environments. As Polygon points out, Epic's acquisition of Cloudgine raises questions about the tech behind the cloud-powered physics.
Updated June 28, 2018: In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Jones confirmed his departure. Further, the Crackdown creator says Cloudgine was there to help create the cloud tech behind the physics engine and "now it's just the technology stack, it's pretty straightforward." Jones added: "Cloudgine was really there to help with technology and I was there really because I had been there for so long, so I was helping to find a direction for [Crackdown 3]."
In an interview during E3, Polygon spoke with Matt Booty, head of Microsoft Studios, on the topic, and Booty confirmed the destruction promised with Crackdown 3's multiplayer mode is still a part of the game. However, he didn't elaborate on the tools Microsoft is using. "You know, I'm not going to get into the actual technical breakdown. Let's just say that we've got access to a great infrastructure, and the game's got some great tech in it, and we're going to put those two together in the way that makes the most sense."
Crackdown 3 has seen its share of delays since first making its debut in 2014. The game was recently confirmed to be targeting a February 2019 release date with actor Terry Crews now serving as the face of the over-the-top gameplay.
In the meantime, Crackdown 3 is available to preorder for $59.99, and will launch as an Xbox Play Anywhere exclusive. And since it's a Microsoft Studios title, members of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service will be able to play the game on launch day as part of their subscription.
