Timeline

1998 May 13 – Kingpin Announced

On May 13, 1998, Kingpin: Life of Crime was officially announced as Xatrix Entertainment’s next first-person shooter, developed using an enhanced version of the Quake II engine. The announcement came shortly before E3 1998, where the game was scheduled for its first public showing.

Interplay confirmed it would publish the title, highlighting Xatrix’s shift toward a darker, crime‑themed setting. Early details emphasized:

• A gritty, urban world inspired by noir and gangster fiction
• Puzzle‑solving and clue‑gathering elements
• Planned vehicle segments (including a gyrocopter)
• A projected Q1 1999 release window

Blue’s News reported that the project was the game designer Ridah had been hinting at in his .plan updates. His notes described:

• A setting influenced by 1930s gangster films
• A focus on AI and gameplay systems
• Research into vehicle physics for new engine features
• The working title Kingpin

Sources

• Next Generation (archived)
• Blue’s News

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1998 August 25 – Xatrix Welcomes John “Dr Sleep” Anderson

On 25 August 1998, Xatrix Entertainment announced that John “Dr Sleep” Anderson had joined the studio after leaving Ion Storm. Anderson, known for his level design work on Doom, Heretic, and Hexen, was brought onto the Kingpin development team to strengthen the project’s level design and overall creative direction.

Xatrix stated that Anderson’s experience would significantly enhance the already established team working on Kingpin.

Sources

• Xatrix Entertainment – News (archived, 25 August 1998)
• John W. Anderson Interview – 26 August 1998

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1998 May 28–30 – Possible First Trailer Shown at E3

Kingpin was announced shortly before E3 1998 with confirmation that the game would be presented at the show. A promotional trailer survives today, but no contemporary documentation confirms whether this specific video was the one shown during the event.

Given the timing of the announcement, the presence of Xatrix and Interplay at E3, and later previews referencing early footage seen “earlier that year,” it is considered likely that an early version of the trailer or similar gameplay reel was shown during E3 1998.

Surviving promotional video

• Kingpin – Life of Crime Official Trailer

Notes

• No hard evidence confirms this exact trailer was used at E3.
• It may represent the same or similar footage shown at the event.

Sources

• 1998 May 13 Announcement
• E3 1998 dates: 28–30 May 1998

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1998 September 6–9 – First Screenshots Shown at ECTS 1998

The earliest confirmed Kingpin screenshots appeared during the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) 1998, held from 6–9 September in London. Interplay presented an early build of the game at the event, and several gaming outlets published screenshots taken from the show floor or from press materials distributed during ECTS.

These images represent the first publicly available look at Kingpin, showcasing early versions of the game's urban environments, character models, and lighting. The screenshots published by Blue’s News and GameSpot UK’s ECTS coverage match the material shown at the event, making ECTS 1998 the most likely source of the first public screenshots.

Sources

• Blue’s News – Kingpin Screenshots
• GameSpot UK – ECTS 98 Preview (archived)
• GameSpot UK – ECTS 98 Screenshot Gallery (archived)

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1998 October – First Magazine Coverage

October 1998 marks the earliest known appearance of Kingpin in print magazines. Two publications featured preview coverage of the game, providing the first substantial mainstream exposure outside of trade‑show reporting.

PC Accelerator (USA) included an early preview highlighting the game’s gritty tone, urban environments, and Xatrix’s use of the Quake II engine. Around the same time, the French magazine Joystick (Issue 097) also ran a feature on Kingpin, presenting similar early impressions and screenshots from the in‑development build.

These October 1998 previews represent the first confirmed magazine coverage of Kingpin.

Sources

• PC Accelerator (USA), October 1998
• Joystick Issue 097 (France), October 1998