Microsoft announced that it is hosting a Crackdown 3 technical test on Thursday, February 7, giving players a glimpse of out the over-the-top action shooter a week ahead of its release. Taking place on both the Xbox One and PC platforms, the test will feature The Wrecking Zone — a fully destructible multiplayer mode powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud technology. The purpose of the test is to ensure a smooth gameplay experience when the game launches, which is why it is only open to the Xbox Insider community.
According to the description, Wrecking Zone lets players “destroy entire buildings and cause mayhem on an unprecedented scale.” Players will take the role of Agent Hunter and will compete on the Blackout Zone map. Taking out opposing agents and collecting their badges will score you points.
Although the developers have been testing it internally, there’s nothing like data and feedback gathered from real world gameplay. Microsoft also makes it clear that this is not a beta, but it is a means of getting as much information as possible to find and fix bugs prior to launch.
The Wrecking Zone Technical Test installations will become available at 9am PST on February 7. Testing will officially start at 12pm PST. Additional playtests for the weekend may be announced on the Xbox Insider Hub and the Crackdown 3 social channels.
Only Insiders can participate in the tests. If you want to join in, just download the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store on the dashboard. Then launch the app, go to the Insider Content section, and download the Wrecking Zone: Technical Test.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is giving away digital copies of the original Crackdown for free to promote the sequel’s release. The game was originally released for the Xbox 360, but is playable on the Xbox One through backward compatibility.
Crackdown 3 will release for the Xbox One and PC on February 15, 2019 and will be available on the Xbox Games Pass service.
