David Jones, CEO of original Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds, has confessed to being a “bit miffed” over Microsoft’s decision to hand development over to new studio Ruffian Games, an upstart Dundee studio that has already claimed a few employees from Realtime.
“I think it was unfortunate that it had to be with a start-up in Dundee… it is challenging to get enough developers in one region as it is, so that was the only little big of negativity to the story,” states Jones. “It’s just one of those awkward moments. In terms of the franchise, as always – as with anything we’ve created — we’re always keen to see it do great things. This is like a bump in the road… was there really no way it could have been done by one of the studios Microsoft shut down…?
“I was a bit miffed at Microsoft that it happened that way, but you live and learn.”
Sounds like Jones is a bit upset that the new boy in class is getting all the attention, which I can sort of understand, especially as Crackdown was his studio’s baby. It must be difficult seeing it get into the hands of a rival. Still, with Ruffian having more than a couple of RW developers under its belt, one can see Ruffian as a logical choice for Microsoft to hand the game over to.
