Ryse SmartGlass challenge editor quietly killed by Crytek and Microsoft

Ryse: Son of Rome will not be getting the once promised challenge editor for its cooperative gladiator mode, Microsoft confirmed to Polygon this week.

Crytek design director Patrick Esteves discussed plans for the editor with Polygon during a demo of the game at last year's Gamescom in August.

At the time, Esteves said that the game would include an editor that would allow players to quickly put together a map of challenges and objectives in Ryse's cooperative gladiator mode, using the SmartGlass app. Once created, players would have been able to upload it for a set period of time.

The more people who competed in the player-created challenge, the bigger the in-game reward. Crytek developers also planned to keep an eye on uploads to flag the best of the creations to make it easier for the community to find them.

Reached for comment this week, a Microsoft spokesperson said that's no longer the plan.

"After careful consideration, we have decided to cease development on Ryse: Son of Rome's challenge editor and focus on improving and expanding fans' experience with the game through both free content updates and purchased add-on packs," the spokesperson said. "We look forward to sharing more details soon."

Sources tell Polygon, the decision was driven in part by lackluster review scores for the game. Ryse received an average Metacritic score of 60 and the average user score on Metacritic is 5.9.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the Ryse: Son of Rome Mars' Chosen Pack. The $8.99 download pack, which hits Feb. 28, will include a new Legionary character skin, five new maps and a new survival mode.