Smash & Grab announced by United Front Games

To get this out of the way; no, Smash & Grab isn’t Sleeping Dogs 2, and yes, that is a terrible shame. You have to feel for United Front Games. Either they genuinely prefer developing multiplayer titles and wish everybody would shut up about Sleeping Dogs, or they really would like to make a sequel to that game but Square Enix won’t let them.

The result: every time United Front announces a game, people just talk about Sleeping Dogs. I’m even doing it now. Still, it was a great game, eh?

Right, Smash & Grab. This looks like it may be salvaging a few ideas and art assets from the cancelled Triad Wars (the online multiplayer sort-of-but-not-really-Sleeping Dogs game), and turning them into a title of “3v3 competitive gang warfare”. It’s promising rapid, 15 minute matches in which two teams have to be the first to snag $50k.

Gang leaders will have “unique combat moves, special abilities, clothing, and perks”, and the hand-to-hand combat looks rather like the systems featuring in a certain Hong Kong based game about drowsy canines. You can read more about Smash & Grab on Steam’s Early Access page, where the game will first release in September. There’s also a teaser trailer, below.