Take-Two Interactive has acquired the studio responsible for developing the last two Crackdown games. It revealed that Ruffian Games will now be rolled into Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games. Ruffian's last game, Crackdown 3, was plagued with development issues and finally launched three years after the initial release date. It got battered by the critics, as it simply couldn’t keep pace with 2010’s Crackdown 2.
Crackdown has been on a slippery slope since the introduction of the super-powered crimefighting policeman way back in 2007 (which was developed by now-defunct studio Realtime Worlds). However, with Take-Two Interactive’s latest purchase, will things finally improve?
More development power and potential
Adding another seasoned development studio to its portfolio, Rockstar receives the expertise and development knowledge that comes with it. Ruffian, which will now be rebranded as Rockstar Dundee, served as an additional developer on Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as well as porting other games to PC.
A studio is only as strong as its leadership and resources. Given what Rockstar can provide, there is no doubt it will provide tons of creative inspiration. This also means that Ruffian staff would be privy to Rockstar’s trade secrets and could use it on their own IPs to make them better. Crackdown 3 was a critical flop, but the game could be much improved with Rockstar's technology and approach to game design.
Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption
Having Ruffian in their corner will free up some of their current staff to focus on released titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption 2. This can only lead to games receiving additional content at a higher standard, and potentially at a faster pace, as well. Ruffian could play an instrumental role in future developments, with rumors swirling that Ruffian’s first big task will be to port the first RDR to PC.
The original Red Dead Redemption may be a decade old, but it was only ever released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination for Ruffian to develop an “enhanced” PC version of RDR.
Returning to old franchises
The deal between the two studios might have already been brewing since last year. Almost exactly a year prior to the purchase, Ruffian tweeted that they are working with Rockstar on “unspecified titles” and needed to hire additional engineers.
What those titles are (or were) still isn’t clear, but at the time, speculation was rife that it could be a remaster of Bully or Manhunt – or even a sequel to either of those. One of the most outlandish claims were that Ruffian was roped in to help with the speculated GTA 6. While that isn’t impossible, it would be highly unusual for them to steer away from their top tier studios.
Good for gamers, bad for the competition
Putting a studio together that consists of a plethora of established talent and ideas can only lead to better games – which is obviously a major boon for players. Other development houses might quietly be panicking in the boardroom. Not only does this purchase flex Rockstar’s financial strength, but it is also a display of developmental power. Any studio would jump at the chance to acquire a developer that worked on Halo: The Master Chief Collection – which has been called one of the best remasters of any game.
The reasoning is simple: if you hire experts, you will receive expertly designed games. This creates a potential cashflow conundrum for other developers, as they will have to carefully plan their upcoming release around whatever Rockstar is putting out. Take-Two Interactive’s business model is to be an unstoppable snowball, and it’s just getting bigger.