Crackdown 3's developers confirm that the game is now targeting a holiday 2017 release date and that the game will have 4K support on Project Scorpio.

When Microsoft announced that Crackdown 3 had been delayed to 2017, many Xbox gamers were disappointed as they are incredibly eager to get their hands on the open-world action title. At the time, Microsoft declined to be more specific about exactly when in 2017 Crackdown 3 would be released, but it has now been revealed that the company is aiming for a holiday 2017 launch for the game.

During a recent Microsoft Game Studios Twitch stream, which was being held as part of a fundraising event for charity, the team replied to a fan question regarding Crackdown 3's release, confirming that a holiday 2017 release date is the goal. "Or earlier," added the game's senior art director Dave Johnson, which seems to suggest that progress on the game is continuing ahead of schedule.

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The developers also confirmed that Crackdown 3 will support a 4K resolution on the Xbox One Project Scorpio hardware which is also set to be released towards the end of next year. This comes as little surprise given that Microsoft previously confirmed that Project Scorpio would run first-party games at native 4K, though with the game already sounding relatively ambitious (it will include large-scale destruction, for example), it's still positive to hear that impressive graphics are still a priority for the Crackdown 3 development team.

As Crackdown 3 is also one of the Xbox One's most highly anticipated titles, its 4K support on Project Scorpio could also help the new Microsoft console sell well. Nothing will get gamers interested like a big budget title that makes the hardware's biggest feature shine.

However, while it's positive to hear about the game's technical hopes and when it's likely to be released, what many fans want to know is when they will get to see the open-world game next. Crackdown 3 skipped E3 2016 and was sorely missed as a result and fans are keen to see the game in action again. Moreover, a Crackdown 3 multiplayer beta was previously teased for 2016 though this has yet to come to fruition. Many want to know if that has been scrapped completely or whether it has just been put on the back burner, allowing the team behind the game to test out its online component a little closer to launch.

Hopefully, now that the game has an official release window, Microsoft and developer Reagant Games will re-announce that beta and give gamers a chance to test the game out for themselves. It would also give those on the fence a chance to get excited before that holiday 2017 release date, so watch this space.

Crackdown 3 is set to arrive in 2017 on Xbox One and Windows PC.