Destiny and Halo 2 writer Joseph Staten confirms that he is working on the Crackdown 3 story, also telling a fan that the game captures the 'classic' Crackdown feel.

In Crackdown 3 trailers, the game's story hasn't exactly been focused on. Although it has been confirmed that the new PC and Xbox One game will be set in the future of the first Crackdown and is in a alternate timeline to Crackdown 2, little else is known. Instead, the teams at publisher Microsoft Studios and developers Reagent Games, Sumo Digital, and Cloudgine have put the game's multiplayer centre stage, promising that Crackdown 3 multiplayer includes destructible environments.

But that's not to say that a lot of work isn't going into the Crackdown 3 story. On Twitter, Joseph Staten, who has written for both Destiny and Halo 2, as well as writing the New York Times bestselling novel Halo: Contact Harvest, confirmed that he is now working on Crackdown 3. Staten, who is also the creative director of Microsoft Studios Global Publishing, confirmed that he "got to do a little [Crackdown 3] writing yesterday" and that he is set to visit the game's UK-based development team.

Responding to a fan's question of "what is going on" with the game, Staten also said that development is "going great," that it's "super fun to play," and that the developers have "really nailed the classic Crackdown feel." Given that an industry insider recently said that Crackdown 3's development has been rough, many fans will be glad to hear that the upcoming sandbox title is back on track.

Many will also be glad that Staten, who has worked on the in-game cinematics for three Halo games (including Halo 3), is putting his talents to Crackdown 3, and that the writer's involvement potentially makes sure that the game's story will be fantastic. Others will point to the controversy surrounding Destiny's story as cause for concern, however. The game's narrative was criticized as disjointed and confusing by some, and there is the very rational fear that Staten could somehow bring that to Crackdown 3.

Moreover, the fact that work on the game's story is still ongoing and narrative plans have yet to be finalized doesn't inspire confidence either. Fans don't want Crackdown 3's story to feel tacked on, and nor do they want it to feel like a rush job. If the team is still writing the story, there's a real risk of that happening.

Good or bad, Microsoft and the development teams do not have much time to show off the game's story. A Crackdown 3 multiplayer beta has been announced (in part), though this appears to have been postponed as the game was delayed to 2017. Perhaps with the beta being pushed back there's time to include some story content in there too, giving fans a taste of what to expect.

Crackdown 3 will be released on PC and Xbox One in 2017.