The biggest game you’ve never heard of — Crossfire X is coming to Xbox

Crossfire has attracted more players than any other game, ever. Impressive, right? But many western gamers haven’t even heard of the franchise, as it’s popularity in China and the Far East simply hasn’t spread. Now, Crossfire X, an Xbox adaptation of Crossfire, will land on Xbox One in 2020. 

The game’s arrival on Xbox was announced at X019 in London, alongside an array of other games coming to the platform. New announcements included Everwild, Tell Me Why and the long awaited Age of Empires 4.

The free-to-play game has 660 millions registered user accounts as of September 2018 and will be a new competitor for free-to-play hits Fortnite and PUBG. Or rather, this new, slightly different version of the game will be.

Developed by Smilegate Entertainment, It offers a first person shooter experience which sees players take on the role of a mercenary, working for either the ‘Black List’ or ‘Global Risk’ mercenary companies.

Here’s the first look at CrossfireX which we saw at X019. The gameplay trailer includes very fast-paced gunplay, a variety of settings and an airstrike, or artillery, feature. We wonder: might this feature be used similarly to Call of Duty kill-streak rewards?

Related:Everything we know about Age of Empires 4

Following the announcement, Xbox told us about the game’s factions on the Xbox blog: “CrossfireX delivers an intense first-person shooter experience where players are immersed in a sprawling global conflict between the world’s two most formidable private military factions.

• “Global Risk employs veterans of powerful armed forces who use advanced technologies to fight for order and security.
• “Black List employs hardened mercenaries trained in guerilla tactics who fight to destabilize oppressive regimes in the name of freedom.

“Choose your side and complete objective-based missions across a variety of classic and innovative modes featuring tightly crafted gameplay and cinematic visuals.”

It will be interesting to see how gamers in the US, UK and other Western markets react to Crossfire X. Is there any way it can mount a genuine challenge to Call of Duty in this market? Or to its free-to-play market rivals, PUBG and Fortnite? We’ll have to wait and see.