German publisher Kalypso Media and developer Skilltree Studio have announced the upcoming release of the latter’s first major title, a tactical strategy game known as Crookz. Crookz puts players in charge of a gang of thieves and tasks them with planning and executing heists in order to build their reputation and line their pockets.

Crookz is set in the 70’s and follows a gang of thieves who each utilize a set of unique skills in order to pull off successful heists of money, jewels, and art in order to finance their lives of luxury. When the gang pulls off the true perfect crime, the theft of a priceless gemstone known as The Green Tiger from a Venice museum, a sudden betrayal turns success into failure and leads to the disbanding of the team. Five years later, however, the gang reforms in order to hunt down their former colleague and, naturally, to steal a few more valuables along the way.

In order to execute a successful heist, players must build their team from a variety of unique goons, each of whom have different skills and tools. Bruisers, for example, specialize in the use of force while lockpickers are more suited to silent breaking and entering. In order to further customize your team, each member of the gang can be outfitted with a selection of specialized tools such as explosives, security camera jammers, and chloroform to silently subdue guards. Crookz plans to release with twenty levels, each of which will require the use of a different set of tactics as well as quick thinking and adaptation in order to escape once the crime has been discovered. Players will also be able to construct their own levels and share them with others in a feature known as Challenge Mode.

Crookz currently has no announced release date, although the game is currently planned to be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs when it launches. The announcement was also accompanied by a live action trailer which tells the story of the single player campaign. You can watch the trailer below or on YouTube if you’re interested in learning more about Crookz.