Crime Boss: Rockay City dev interview: you could play it infinitely

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Crime Boss: Rockay City. This first-person, organised crime game may be a 2023 title, but it has all the hallmarks of the games that made the PlayStation 2 era so iconic. GAMINGbible recently sat down with the game’s own Damion Poitier to discuss this interesting beast.

See the full interview here

When it was first announced at The Game Awards 2022, Crime Boss: Rockay City instantly stood out. Instead of being a fantasy or sci-fi game of the now, it seemed more of a callback to titles like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, among numerous others. This begs the question, what’s so compelling about organised crime games?

“You know what it is? It’s the ultimate me time,” Poitier explains. “I’m going to do this thing and it doesn’t matter who gets in my way or what happens,” he adds, and it’s a valid point. It’s fun to cause chaos without consequence, and carnage seems part and parcel of Crime Boss, but that’s not all there is to the upcoming title from 505 Games.

505 Games

“It’s virtually impossible to have the same playthrough because the AI is doing different things with the other characters,” Poitier clarifies. “This is a game where you could play it infinitely and never actually play the same game twice, and that’s before we start adding different things.”

While this remains to be seen, of course, one way in which Crime Boss: Rockay City absolutely feels unique is the cast. It’s an all-star ensemble, featuring the likes of Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, Danny Trejo, Michael Rooker, and more. Poitier explains that the actors are playing characters loosely inspired by individual roles from the time, with Madsen, for example, channelling his Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction performances.

505 Games

Talking about the experience of making a game, Poitier clearly has a lot of respect for the medium. “It’s a new narrative form, in terms of how far we’re able to push the barrier,” he opines, before adding: “You can make a movie with gaming things that looks very close to as good as the movies we make.”

When asked about the future of video games, Poitier expresses a sincere belief that the level of immersion will only further develop, particularly with the help of VR and the metaverse. “I’m sure you watch Black Mirror. That’s not as far away as you think it is,” he ventures.

Much like the filmmaking industry, game development is often far from a speedy process. “You have no idea how much time developers put into making a game,” Poitier tells me. “You hear the stories, but then you get in there and you go ‘oh, this is real real,’” the actor states.

505 Games

In terms of Crime Boss: Rockay City, it’s clear that even though the game doesn’t release until 28 March, Poitier and his fellow developers are mindful of the future. As well as hinting at a roadmap of additional content to follow, the core game itself is designed to be different for each playthrough.

Although we haven’t played the game yet, I have to say I’m intrigued by its ‘90s-action-movie charms, its enormous roster of movie stars and the ambitious-sounding gameplay.

Topics: Interview