Originally intended to be the third game in the Activision-produced "True Crime" series (after True Crime: Streets of LA and True Crime: New York City), but was cancelled after Activision elected not to back the game in a market dominated by other free-roaming games made by other companies, such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Saints Row: The Third. Eventually picked up by Square Enix, development was left in the hands of both them and United Front and the game was retitled "Sleeping Dogs".