Crime Boss: Rocky City, published by 505 Games, is an upcoming first-person shooter with a cast so packed that it would turn heads if linked to a Hollywood blockbuster, let alone an indie heist game. The announcement was made as part of The Game Awards 2022 event, which featured the debut of over a dozen games ranging from highly anticipated sequels like Hades 2 to entirely new IPs like Judas and Crime Boss: Rocky City.
Ingame Studios, a Czech Republic-based firm created in 2020, is in charge of the creation of Crime Boss: Rocky City. According to the studio’s website, it currently employs more than 70 employees, including game industry veterans who have previously worked on worldwide successful titles such as Kingdom Come Deliverance and the Mafia series. The fact that the company’s headquarters are in what it describes as a downtown “castle” spanning more than 3,200 square feet suggests that it is significantly better funded than the ordinary indie business.
Crime Boss: Rocky City’s star-studded cast reflects Ingame Studios’ strong support, including Hollywood stalwarts like Michael Madson, who is even participating in the game’s marketing campaign, Kim Basinger, as well as Danny Glover, Danny Trejo, and Chuck Norris, among others. In addition to giving their voices and likenesses to the game’s enormous character cast, the majority of the cast was involved in motion capture work on Crime Boss: Rocky City.
The TGA announcement trailer shows that Crime Boss takes place in Rocky City, a fictional Florida metropolis inspired by the design of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The key distinction between the two Miami-based settings is that Rockstar’s cult masterpiece was influenced by the 1980s, whereas Crime Boss: Rocky City will be inspired by the 1990s. Gameplay-wise, the title appears to be more akin to Overkill Software’s Payday than the GTA series, with the developers focusing on providing spectacular, action-packed heists.
Contrary to what its star-studded roster suggests, Crime Boss: Rocky City is an AA game, as shown by the fact that it’s planned to launch at a reasonable $39.99.
Furthermore, the game is currently available for pre-order at a 40% discount through the Epic Games Store as part of an announcement sale that will continue through December 12. Crime Boss: Rocky City, which is likewise powered by Epic’s own Unreal Engine 5, now has exclusive PC distribution rights.
Given that Payday 3 is still scheduled for a 2023 release, it remains to be seen what the forthcoming debut of Crime Boss: Rocky City means for its publisher’s other first-person heist game. Even if Payday 3 isn’t delayed significantly in 2022, 505 Games would probably want to avoid releasing it too close to Ingame Studios’ debut release, thus Overkill’s next project could be moved to 2024 while Crime Boss finds its audience.
Crime Boss: Rocky City is scheduled to hit PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 28, 2023.
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