If this is true all I hope is that Realtime Worlds will continue with the franchise. I remember reading this interview with Shane Kim stating that MS owns the IP and they are free to find another studio to develop it.
Despite the dynamic pairing of good sales and majority acclaim for Crackdown, Shane Kim grew cagey when questioned about the status of a sequel at DICE, during an interview with Game|Life. "I don't really want to talk about that discussion," said Kim when asked to comment on reports that Realtime Worlds would not develop a sequel to last year's successful super-cop sandbox shooter. What Kim did clarify is that Microsoft owns the Crackdown IP and is free to pursue development of a sequel with a new studio. "I think that customers would like to see more in that space," Kim vaguely noted, "So that's an option for us."
