'Crackdown 3': Xbox One console exclusive delayed until 2018

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Microsoft has announced that the next entry in its third-person shooter series Crackdown 3, has been delayed until Spring 2018.

The Xbox One console exclusive which stars actor Terry Crews, was set for release on Nov. 7 after originally being scheduled to arrive in 2016. The title will also be released on PC.

"We're very excited about Crackdown 3, and so are many fans, and so it's a difficult call to move the release date," Microsoft Studios publishing general manager Shannon Loftis said to Polygon about the delay.

"However, we want to make sure to deliver the right game, with the right quality, and at the right time. Crackdown 3 is a hugely ambitious game and we want to ensure we deliver the right experiences all the way through every part of the game, whether that's campaign, co-op multiplayer or our competitive multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone. Getting the balance right between the three modes is important, and we are going to take the extra development time to ensure that," she continued.

Loftis also mentioned how the extra time will allow developers Reagent Games, Sumo Digital and Cloudgine improve upon the game's visual presentation from what was shown in Microsoft's E3 gameplay trailer released in June.

"What we showed at E3 was a preview of the game, and is a great indicator of the level of mayhem and vertical platforming action you can expect from Crackdown 3," Loftis said. "Among other items, we are taking the extra time to focus on the visual polish so gamers can feel completely immersed in a living world. We want them to really feel the larger-than life enemies as they're exploring the expansive open world, combatting crime and collecting orbs."

Crackdown 3 was set to launch alongside Microsoft's new Xbox One gaming console, the more powerful Xbox One X.