CrossfireX , a first-person shooter developed and published by Smilegate Entertainment, launched on February 10, 2022, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. As the third installment in the Crossfire series, Remedy Entertainment contributed to the development of the game’s two single-player campaigns, which were also featured in Crossfire HD. Despite this, the game received predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics. However, on February 3, 2023, Smile gate announced the impending shutdown of the game, scheduled for May 18, 2023.
CrossfireX, serving as the console adaptation of Crossfire (2007), features a free-to-play multiplayer mode reminiscent of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In this mode, two opposing teams, representing hostile private military factions, engage in various game modes to achieve objectives. The Classic mode involves the attacking team planting a bomb while the defending team endeavors to thwart their efforts, with all players equipped with standard weapons. Another mode, Spectre, offers a twist on the classic mode, where attacking players, known as spectres, wield only knives but possess the ability to remain invisible while stationary. Additionally, the Modern mode requires both teams to vie for control of two strategic points on the map.
The single-player component, also present in Crossfire HD on PC in China, offers a series of operations, each comprising multiple episodes. At launch, players have access to two operations, delving into a narrative exploring the global conflict between two rival private military factions, Black List and Global Risk.
The initial campaign follows a squad of Global Risk Soldiers stationed in Azkharzia, tasked with locating and eliminating Black List officer Alexander Steiner. Led by Major Cavanaugh, the team includes Captain Hall, Specialist Randall, and Private First Class Moralez. Their mission leads them to an abandoned hotel, where they mistakenly eliminate Steiner’s decoy. Despite a successful escape from the hotel, suspicions arise when it becomes evident that Black List forces were well-prepared for their incursion. Following Cavanaugh’s injury and Hall’s temporary incapacitation, Hall experiences a disconcerting vision while unconscious. Upon awakening, he resumes command of the team.
With their extraction aircraft destroyed and Cavanaugh’s radio missing, Hall resolves to utilize a nearby communications tower to summon backup, despite Moralez’s objections to deviating from the rally point. During an attempt to reach the tower, Hall is apprehended and interrogated by Steiner, who discloses Cavanaugh’s survival and demands his whereabouts. Freed by his team, Hall plans a rescue mission to locate Cavanaugh, capturing Steiner en route. However, they are ambushed by Black List forces led by Commander Fontaine, with Moralez revealing betrayal by siding with Fontaine. Despite killing Steiner at Fontaine’s command, Moralez spares Hall and Randall, leading to Fontaine executing Moralez. Hall and Randall narrowly escape the ambush. Despite being outnumbered, the surviving team members press deeper into the mines, discovering a facility housing Catalyst, a supercomputer capable of predicting the future through human memories. It’s revealed that Fontaine intends to utilize Cavanaugh’s future memories to eradicate Global Risk. Hall intervenes, fatally shooting Fontaine before the machine can enact her plan. The team successfully flees via helicopter before further danger ensues.
