Square Enix picks up True Crime Hong Kon

Square Enix has picked up the rights to True Crime: Hong Kong, the open world action title axed by former publisher Activision earlier this year. The game remains in production at Vancouver-based ModNation Racers developer United Front Games, but the project's now being overseen by Square Enix London Studios, the publisher announced last night."When we first saw and got our hands on the game we fell in love with it," Square Enix London Studios general manager Lee Singleton told Gamasutra.He also said Square hasn't acquired the True Crime IP, so the title's name will change, and that it's too early to talk about a release date and target platforms. The game was originally scheduled to launch this November on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC."It's one of those games where you don't want to put the controller down; it's what we call 'sticky'," Singleton added. "When we met the team at United Front Games, it was a done deal in our eyes - we instantly recognised the huge potential in the game and the team." Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg added: "Our team has worked very hard to find a solution where everybody wins. Square Enix gets the benefit of the tremendous investment we've made in the game thus far. UFG gets to stay together and complete their vision. And gamers get to play a great game. We couldn't be more thrilled."True Crime: Hong Kong was playable from start to finish and "virtually complete" in terms of content before Activision canned it, United Front Games told CVG in a studio visit shortly before the announcement.