Microsoft made no mention of Crackdown 3 at all during its E3 2016 press conference, and it's now been revealed that the game has been delayed to 2017.

Leading up to Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference, many expected Crackdown 3 to be one of the premiere titles at the show. However, Microsoft's conference came and went without a single mention of Crackdown 3, and unfortunately for those hoping to play the game this year, it's now been revealed that Crackdown 3 has been delayed to 2017.

Unlike much of the other Microsoft news dominating headlines today, Crackdown 3's delay was not announced at E3 2016. As previously stated, Microsoft didn't say anything about Crackdown 3 at the show, with the news of the delay revealed to fans through an update on its official website.

Originally part of Xbox's 2016 games lineup, Crackdown 3's delay will likely disappoint fans of the franchise. Worse yet is that Microsoft gave no reason for the delay, and the fact that nothing new was shown at E3 may make some worried that Crackdown 3 is having a troubled development.

Having said that, a teaser site went up just a few days ago teasing a multiplayer beta for Crackdown 3. If the game's development is troubled, it's unlikely that the developers would put up a teaser site hinting at a multiplayer beta, so perhaps Crackdown 3's delay isn't as dire as some may expect.

After all, game delays are nothing new, and oftentimes they are employed to simply allow developers to further polish their projects. And with Crackdown 3's ambitious cloud-powered destruction system, it's understandable that it may need a little longer in the oven in order to reach its full potential.

Even so, it's odd that Microsoft didn't make a single mention of Crackdown 3 during the event. The game has been pushed as one of the more important Microsoft exclusive titles on the horizon, and the lack of any new gameplay footage or even a cinematic trailer at E3 may leave some scratching their hands. However, it's worth noting that Crackdown 3 skipped E3 2015 as well, opting for a Gamescom showcase instead.

Considering that, maybe the plan all along was for Microsoft to show more of Crackdown 3 at Gamescom 2016 instead of E3, regardless of any delays. In the meantime, it will be interesting to learn about the reasoning behind Crackdown 3's delay, and if the delay is due to trouble development, the implementation of new game modes, or if it is simply to allow the development team at Reagent Games more time to polish the experience.

Crackdown 3 will be available for PC and Xbox One in 2017.

Source: Crackdown