Early this year, we saw Activision abandoning two big franchises – Guitar Hero and True Crime: Hong Kong. But as they say, one’s loss is another’s gain. Square Enix has picked up the rights to True Crime: Hong Kong which has been under development since a long time now. The game however, will be renamed, as Square Enix does not wish to use the True Crime IP.
This title is still being developed by the Vancouver-based United Front Games. Before this move, the game was expected to be launched on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. As of now, Square Enix refuses to talk about the release dates or the platforms on which the title would release. About the new name for the game, it is said that the publisher’s branding team is working on concepts.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Square Enix London Studios general manager, Lee Singleton revealed, “When we first saw and got our hands on the game we fell in love with it,” further adding, “When we met the team at United Front Games it was a done deal in our eyes – we instantly recognized the huge potential in the game and the team. UFG is an incredibly talented team, who have individually worked on some of the biggest games in our industry, and this talent shines through from the moment you walk in the door.”
Singleton also shared that the title will feature a new game engine, a new story and gameplay elements ‘which have simply never been seen at this level in an open world game.’
Activision had seen a similar situation in 2008 when dropped games like Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters and others which were subsequently picked up by other publishers.
Square Enix has also revealed plans to create ‘a new and unique franchise’ from True Crime: Hong Kong. Here’s hoping it all goes smoothly this time and may gamers get to experience the title as soon as possible.