The Crossing (video game)

The Crossing
Developer(s)	Arkane Studios
Publisher(s)	Valve Corporation
Engine	Source
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Release	Cancelled
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

The Crossing was a first-person shooter video game by Arkane Studios, which attempted to fuse single-player and multiplayer by threading its single-player campaign through live multiplayer games.

The game was first announced on 9 January 2007,^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} but put "on hold" on 15 May 2009 after the company ran into "an unexpected financial challenge" and decided to focus on smaller projects.^[7] The Crossing was later officially cancelled for Arkane Studios to work on LMNO with Electronic Arts and Steven Spielberg.^[8][9]

On 11 October 2016, ZeniMax Media, which acquired Arkane Studios in the meantime, filed a new trademark for "The Crossing".^[10]

Story

The game incorporated the idea of parallel universes, and was to be set across two vastly different renditions of modern day Paris. In one universe, which shares many aesthetic similarities to our own, Paris has descended into chaos following the collapse of government. In the other, the timeline diverged in 1307; where instead of being disbanded, the Knights Templar seize control of the French crown. The story takes the player across both universes.

Gameplay

Two campaign players bear down on a weaker team deathmatch player

The Crossing attempted to fuse single-player and multiplayer gaming, allowing human players to take the place of enemies in the single-player campaign. The players who take on the role of AI grunts play a team-based deathmatch game, with the additional goal of trying to kill or protect the one or two more powerful players who are playing through the story. This amalgamation was dubbed "crossplayer" by Arkane.

The game also was to include a team-based multiplayer mode called skirmish, which is also incorporated into the single-player campaign, where the main player might try to avoid the skirmish.

References