Prime Matter will team with Smilegate for Crossfire: Legion, a full RTS compliment to the worldwide smash hit Crossfire. While still not well known in the United States, Crossfire is a mobile first-person shooter that also happens to be one of the most popular video games in the world. That popularity has set the wheels in motion for a Western push for the franchise, which starts with the Xbox-exclusive CrossfireX. That game, which features a campaign by Remedy and an adaption of the signature multiplayer the series is known for, is set for a 2021 release following a pandemic-related delay.
Crossfire: Legion is the second step in this plan, a strategic spin on the franchise released by new publishing label Prime Matter and developer Blackbird Interactive. The team at Blackbird have already revived the Homeworld franchise for Gearbox and released Hardspace: Shipbreaker into Early Access on Steam, so they have a wide variety of experience with both established brands and strategic gameplay. The team promises that Crossfire: Legion will “combine Blackbird’s distinct art style with fast-paced combat.” It’s a pairing that’s quite fitting for the world of Crossfire.
While Crossfire: Legion may not have name recognition among Western audiences as of yet, there are now several major studios working on games that could change that quickly. Both Remedy’s single-player campaign in CrossfireX and this new strategy game from Blackbird have major publisher backing and developers with a fine pedigree. It’s not enough to send Activision scrambling as of yet, but it’s likely that players will hear a lot more about Crossfire in the coming years.
