In South Korea, “Crossfire” is what we have as Counter-Strike: Simply the biggest multiplayer shooter in the country for a decade. Now, Crossfire X is coming to Xbox One. The Western release is planned for 2020. A trailer shows what we can expect from the free-to-play shooter.
What is Crossfire? Crossfire is an incredibly successful first-person shooter in Asia. It is “the thing” in PC cafes. It has been running in South Korea since 2007, in China since 2008, and regularly earns enough money to appear in the “Top 10” of the most lucrative PC game titles worldwide:
- Crossfire is said to have generated $10.8 billion by 2018.
- It is said to have 660 million players. (Via businesswire): This would make Crossfire the largest game in the world.
The game is a phenomenon in Korea, even though it hardly matters here in the West. Smilegate wanted to bring Crossfire to the West in 2016, but it didn’t go so well. They closed the Berlin office after just one year. From a Western perspective, the title doesn’t look fresh anymore.
Now Smilegate is trying again, with a new title based on Crossfire: Crossfire X. And they have found a strong partner in Microsoft. They presented Crossfire X at E3 2019.
Microsoft is apparently launching a small initiative in search of exclusive titles to bring big Asian titles to the West. Phantasy Star Online 2, a hit from Japan, will also be ported.
The Essentials of Crossfire X at a Glance
What Crossfire X will be: The new title will:
- Release for Xbox One in 2020
- Also be free-to-play
- Require Xbox Live Gold to play online.
- Crossfire X will obviously be financed through microtransactions.
- Developed by original developer Smilegate, together with Xbox Game Studios and Remedy (Quantum Break, Max Payne)
Trailer Shows the New Free-to-Play Shooter
This is what the trailer shows: We see military action in a southern European-looking city. There is also “DMX – X Gon’ Give It to Ya”, a rap hit from 2002 that also served as the song for the film “Deadpool”.
The game reminds us of titles like Counter-Strike.
The trailer features two factions, “Global Risk” and “Black List”: One group is supposed to consist of veterans fighting for order, while the others are mercenaries fighting for freedom.
This is what Smilegate says: They say that with Crossfire X, they will bring an “intense gameplay experience” for all types of first-person fans with a somewhat unique and innovative game mode.
After 10 years of success, it is the right time to attempt this now.
Crossfire X was presented again at X019 – the title was officially announced at E3 2019.
