Crime Boss: Rockay City is set in a fictional Florida city in the 1990s. The old crime boss has fallen and new ones are jostling to claim the throne. One of those is Travis Barker (played by Reservoir Dogs ear enthusiast Michael Madsen), and he’s us. So with a team of crooks (played by Michael Rooker, Kim Basinger, Danny Glover, and Damion Poitier) we’ll be pulling off heists and fighting for turf, tussling with rival bosses (played by the likes of Danny Trejo and Vanilla Ice) and Chuck Norris as a sheriff. Blowing budget on big names always makes me wary but I do adore heisting and am crossing my fingers so hard for this. It is weird how some of their digital likenesses appear as they did in the 90s, while others are distinctly their current faces (looking at you in particular, Vanilla Ice). The marketing blurb describes Crime Boss’s campaign as “roguelike” but not does not explain what that means here. Curious! Along with a singleplayer campaign it will have four-player cooperative multiplayer, and that’s what I most want. A well-orchestrated Payday heist could be beautiful, some of the most tense and satisfying multiplayer moments I’ve had. I should note that the one actor you likely won’t recognise from that nameblast, Damion Poitier, played the heister Chains in Payday 2. I don’t think this game’s inspirations are a secret. Crime Boss: Rockay City is due to launch on the 28th of March, 2023 via the Epic Games Store at a price of £35. It’s made by Ingame Studios, a new crew in the Czech Republic, and published by 505 Games. It’ll also be on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Xeriex XS. For more of the latest news and trailers, check out our Game Awards 2022 hub. We also live-blogged the show as it happened right here.
