crytek-uk
Latest
Crysis 3, Ryse producer Mike Read departs Crytek
Crytek's exodus of company talent continues, as Ryse: Son of Rome and Crysis 3 producer Mike Read has left the studio, The Escapist reports. The Escapist notes that Read's recently updated LinkedIn profile no longer lists Crytek as his current employer. Read's Twitter bio additionally states that he is a "former producer" at Crytek. Read's departure follows up on the recent resignation of 11-year Crytek veteran Tiago Sousa, who now serves as Lead Rendering Programmer at id Software. Subsidiary Crytek UK also saw a number of departures last month, losing more than 30 employees and Homefront: The Revolution director Hasit Zala amid rumors of late staff payments. [Image: Crytek]
Report: Homefront: The Revolution's game director resigns
Homefront: The Revolution's future looks increasingly uncertain, judging by Kotaku's report that Hasit Zala has resigned from his role as Revolution's game director at Crytek UK. Kotaku's sources added that development manager Ben Harris left the studio this month, which is reflected by his LinkedIn profile listing the role as a past work experience. The report states that other unnamed employees have either left or are openly looking for work with other companies at this time. Zala's supposed departure follows a previous report that more than 30 employees have left Crytek UK since Revolution's development began in 2011, with departures supposedly being due to late payments. German magazine GameStar reported in June that Crytek was nearing bankruptcy, which was met with a denial from Crytek: "The information in those reports and in the GameStar article itself are rumors which Crytek deny." [Image: Crytek UK]
Report: Crytek UK in trouble, staff leaving
More than 30 employees have left Crytek UK since work began on Homefront: The Revolution in 2011, Eurogamer reports. The high turnover is due to staff being paid late numerous times, and the list of those who've left includes key art, design and programming employees, the site says. Crytek UK Managing Director Karl Hilton is leaving his position for a different role in the company, he told Kotaku. This week, German magazine GameStar reported that Crytek was nearing bankruptcy. Crytek denied the claim: "Regardless of what some media are reporting, mostly based on a recent article published by GameStar, the information in those reports and in the GameStar article itself are rumors which Crytek deny. We continue to focus on the development and publishing of our upcoming titles Homefront: The Revolution, Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, Arena of Fate, and Warface, as well as providing ongoing support for our CryEngine and its licensees." Homefront: The Revolution publisher Deep Silver has declined to comment on the situation. However, claims of trouble aren't contained to Crytek UK, Kotaku reports: Crytek's sequel to Xbox One launch game Ryse has been canceled, along with a slew of other games, including original prototypes. [Image: Deep Silver]
How guerrilla warfare works in Homefront: The Revolution
Not too long after Crytek UK began working on a sequel to Homefront, the developer started to get worried. Studio closures at THQ, rumors of the publisher's financial strain and whispers of the entire organization's dissolution overtook any news surrounding the company and its projects, including a follow-up to the commercially viable but critically lukewarm shooter by Kaos Studios. By the end of January 2013, THQ was dead, its properties scattered throughout the industry. But Crytek's management team belayed its developer's fears. Crytek emerged from the fire sale that ensued after THQ's demise half-a-million dollars lighter in the wallet, but owners of the Homefront franchise. Now, alongside co-publishing partner Deep Silver, Crytek finally feels at ease and sees the opportunity to create the Homefront game it always wanted to make.
Crytek's Homefront: The Revolution fights for freedom on PC, Xbox One, PS4 in 2015
Rumors of a resistance are true. Crytek's sequel to the 2011 shooter Homefront from developer Kaos Studios has been officially announced. Co-published by Crytek and Deep Silver, Homefront: The Revolution is coming to PC, Xbox One and PS4 sometime in 2015. Taking place four years into the occupation of the US by Korean forces – as portrayed in the original game – Homefront: The Revolution follows a new set of characters as they battle for freedom throughout the war-torn streets of Philadelphia. By recruiting resistance fighters and using guerrilla tactics in an open-world environment, players can terrorize KPA troops and attempt to gain the upper hand either alone or along with friends in online co-op. Crytek had originally been developing the sequel for THQ, prior to the publisher dissolving. When the publisher's properties were sold, Crytek purchased the franchise to preserve the work its team had put into the title. The Homefront sequel is in development at Crytek UK, formerly Free Radical.
Homefront: The Revolution appears on Swedish site [update: confirmed]
Homefront: The Revolution is the Crytek-developed, Deep Silver-published follow-up to THQ's 2011 game, according to a now removed listing. Official PlayStation Magazine reports Swedish site FZ listed the game as a first-person shooter due in 2015. Crytek acquired the Homefront property in 2011 following THQ going defunct. At the time, General Manager of Games Nick Button-Brown noted the company's purchase would allow Crytek UK (formerly Team Radical) to finish its work on Homefront 2. "The worst case scenario for us was that this situation meant that all that work just ended up being thrown into the bin," Button-Brown said back in 2013, "so we wanted to buy the IP to make sure the team can finish off the game they wish to make." Update: Deep Silver confirmed Homefront: The Revolution is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2015. Check out the details and announcement trailer here. [Image: Official PlayStation Magazine]
This is what happened to Star Wars Battlefront 3
Despite our infinite sadness that TimeSplitters 4 is not in development right now, at least we have some closure regarding developer Free Radical Design today. Steve Ellis, one of three individuals who left Rare after the completion of GoldenEye 007 on the N64 and founded Free Radical Design, has shed some light on what happened to the UK-based developer – and why we never got Star Wars Battlefront 3, even though Free Radical basically finished it in 2008."It was a big thing, we were very excited and for a long time it was going very well," Ellis told GI.biz in an interview that focuses on the rise of Free Radical and how it eventually became Crytek UK. "That was a big deal for us because it meant putting all our eggs in one basket. It was a critical decision – do we want to bet on LucasArts? And we chose to because things were going as well as they ever had. It was a project that looked like it would probably be the most successful thing we had ever done and they were asking us to make the sequel to it too. It seemed like a no-brainer." But then things got a bit rocky due to a shift in LucasArts management. Key individuals left the company and suddenly things were looking grim for Free Radical's Battlefront 3."LucasArts' opinion is that when you launch a game you have to spend big on the marketing and they're right. But at that time they were, for whatever reason, unable to commit to spending big. They effectively canned a game that was finished." As of March 2008, Free Radical had a competent working build. "It was pretty much done, it was in final QA. It had been in final QA for half of 2008, it was just being fixed for release," Ellis concluded.
Crytek: TimeSplitters 4 is not in development
Despite rumors to the contrary, Crytek has shot down the notion that the studio is currently developing TimeSplitters 4. The company joked to CVG it had attempted to employ the infinite monkey theorem to develop the game, but ran over budget after purchasing only seven monkeys. Thus far, said Crytek, the chimps "haven't written any code but just tease the press from time to time." In a more serious response, a Crytek spokesperson said quite plainly, "No, it's not in development."Rumors of a Crytek-developed TimeSplitters 4 have been swirling for years now, with the most recent story popping up last summer, when PlayStation magazine reported that a new TimeSplitters announcement was imminent.
Rumor: TimeSplitters 4 may be announced soon
The TimeSplitters series isn't done monkeying around yet -- Crytek UK may be announcing TimeSplitters 4 soon, as noted in the August edition of Official PlayStation Magazine UK's "Rumor Machine" section. The rumor reads, "Gun-wielding monkeys are finally making a comeback! A fourth Timesplitters title is to be announced soon." This seems pretty straight-forward, and Crytek UK has previously suggested a new TimeSplitters title after the release of Crysis 2, so we're thinking this could be truer than a complete lie, but we're still keeping our bananas in our pants for now.
Crytek discussing possibility of TimeSplitters 4, needs Crysis 2 shipped first
Our anticipation for Crysis 2 just skyrocketed for a terrible, terrible reason. See, in a recent interview with CVG, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli responded to a query about the possibility of a new entry in the TimeSplitters franchise by saying, "Yeah, we have been discussing it, but nothing has been confirmed yet, so let's see after Crysis 2." The developers of the chronologically unstable series, Free Radical, were purchased by Crytek back in 2009, and now have their hands full with developing Crysis 2's multiplayer component. Don't get us wrong -- we're definitely looking forward to Crysis 2 based solely on its own merits as an innovative first-person shooter. But we also want a new TimeSplitters, and if that means we have to ship Crysis 2 before it's ready to free up resources, then, well, that's an egg we're willing to break.
Crytek 'working to resolve' Crysis 2 multiplayer demo issues
In a statement printed on its website, Crysis 2 developer Crytek says it's aware of issues regarding the Xbox Live-exclusive multiplayer demo, and is "working to resolve" them "as quickly as possible." Known issues include sudden disconnects from servers and, for some, constant console freezing when first joining or concluding matches. We'll be sure to pass along word when Crytek's ironed out the bugs in its billion-dollar nanosuit, but in the meantime it appears we're all stuck playing the waiting game while waiting to play the game.
Crysis 2 multiplayer preview: Situational shooter
Having spent quite a bit of time with the first game on PC, I found myself in a far better position at the outset than most when suiting up for the sequel, Crysis 2, at a recent multiplayer preview event at San Francisco. That isn't to say that Crysis 2 is the same as the first game; Crytek has streamlined the use of the game's core feature, the Nanosuit, through a surprisingly intuitive control scheme, giving you the ability to utilize more than one suit function at the same time. This gives Crysis 2 more tension and asks you to work harder to manage the suit's myriad functions, making for a much more enjoyable and energetic multiplayer experience compared to its predecessor. %Gallery-114903%
Crysis 2 multiplayer demo hitting Xbox Live exclusively on Jan. 25
When it's not being used as a great punchline for that joke about the microbe visiting the tailor (it's not that good), the nanosuit is trotted out as Crysis 2's superhuman advantage over other first-person shooters. Crytek and EA hope to make that clear in a Xbox-exclusive multiplayer demo, set to launch on January 25. Xbox Live Gold members who download the demo will gain access to two modes, the "Skyline" map -- just one of many set in a demolished New York City -- and the nanosuit, which can augment your speed and strength, or lower your visibility. In the "Team Instant Action" mode, two groups of players attempt to kill as many enemies as possible, whereas "Crash Site" has you and your comrades capturing and guarding alien pods. Crysis 2's multiplayer component is developed by Crytek UK, which was formed from failed TimeSplitters developer Free Radical. The full game, due on March 22, will offer six multiplayer gameplay modes, 12 maps, a leveling system -- and nanosuits for all! Check out a new trailer after the break.
Crysis 2 multiplayer beta footage reminds us not to get caught looking at the scenery
Last month, EA sent out invitations to a Crysis 2 closed beta on the Xbox 360, and now one apparent player has uploaded this sharp-looking video preview of ... the preview. Don't think looking this good comes easy, though -- do you even know how much the dry cleaning bill for a suit like that costs?
Crytek UK still shopping around new TimeSplitters title
The studio formerly known as Free Radical Design may now be called Crytek UK, but that doesn't mean it has abandoned its popular TimeSplitters franchise. Managing director Karl Hilton said the developer is still shopping around that IP to publishers to see if it's something they're interested in. We've known that Crytek UK has been working on both another TimeSplitters and some sort of original FPS IP for a while now, but Hilton says the coin flip hasn't landed yet. "If [publishers are] keen for a TS game," he says, "then we'd be happy to do one. If they'd like us to develop something new then we'd do that." Hilton also says that even if it is agreed that Crytek UK will create a new TimeSplitters game, it may not look like the old ones. Publishers are excited about the brand, he says, but they may need it to be updated or tweaked in some way. But Hilton guarantees players that no matter what personality a new TimeSplitters game might eventually bear, it will definitely be a strong one. Doesn't matter to us, either, Mr. Hilton -- just please make sure that we get to play as a monkey at some point.
Ex-Free Radical (Crytek UK) working solely on Crysis 2 multiplayer
Despite earlier claims that Haze developer Free Radical (now Crytek UK) were working on an "original FPS" for its new overlord Crytek Studios, it appears that the UK-based studio is actually hard at work on Crysis 2's multiplayer component. In an interview with VG247, CEO Cevat Yerli revealed "several online functionalities" for the game, as well as the team behind said functionalities. "That is all they [Crytek UK] are doing, with a full team on it, and they are blasting forward at full speed with more focus and dedication than I've ever had before at Crytek." Jeez you two, get a room! Yerli unfortunately couldn't expand on the various types of multiplayer we'll find in Crysis 2 when it arrives later this year, though he did note that the team at Crytek UK will be "making the gameplay unique to both the console and PC versions." Presumably he means that in a sense greater than "The PC version has way, way prettier graphics."
Crytek UK making original FPS
If you were holding out hope that Crytek UK (formerly Free Radical) would be finishing up TimeSplitters 4 any time soon, you may want to store it way down in your heart. We're talking like way down, back where you keep your secret wish to find an unopened box of Nintendo Cereal System at your local grocer. Studio manager Karl Hilton recently told Develop that the company is working on an original FPS. While the news is good on one hand (it's not Haze) it's also bad, because it likely means TimeSplitters 4 is either a long ways off or dead altogether. [Via GoGamingGiant]
Crysis LIVE! aims to bring the game into the real world
Ever since Crysis released, we've found our life lacking in two distinct ways: We totally want a Nanosuit of our own and would do close to anything for one We wish Jason Statham was our squadmate in real life and often daydream about being stranded on a tropical island with him While the second option is likely never going to happen without some jail time attached to it, the first item is actually a possibility for those willing to travel to Nottingham, UK next month. On October 29 - 30, Crytek UK will section off an area and create "a real-life tropical jungle, complete with exotic flora and fauna" for folks to take part in a real life version of the PC game. In fact, those attending will even be able to try on an actual Nanosuit and, somehow, become invisible while playing this real-life version of the PC title. Crytek UK's Narrative Designer, Rob Yescombe, describes the game as "Hide and Seek for the 21st Century – good old fashioned fun but with a Crytek UK twist." Who's going?[Via Big Download]
PS3 struggles hurt Haze development
It's no secret that some developers have a tough time with the PS3. In fact, Gabe Newell hates the thing so much he once forced an elephant to eat a crushed up 20GB model, jammed a cardboard cutout of Jack Tretton into the resulting dung pile and burned the whole thing in effigy. Karl Hilton of Crytek UK (formerly Free Radical) brings a more restrained (though ultimately more hygienic) protest today, telling Develop that the developer's technical learning curve hurt the development of critically maligned PS3 exclusive, Haze. "We spent more time trying get the game running properly and less time to design the game properly," he said. "The PS3 is a powerful machine but a difficult one to get the best out of." And no, before you ask, Hilton doesn't expect to have similar PS3 problems with Crytek's CryEngine 3. Shockingly.
Crytek's Free Radical acquisition speeds up console development plans
Crytek's past console experience has been nonexistent, and with the company doing away with PC exclusivity, it needs to get its feet wet in the console arena. Now that the company has acquired what is left of Free Radical, it can do just that."We always planned to enter the console market and it was part of our strategy even before the acquisition," said Cevat Yerli, president and CEO of Crytek. "This step will certainly bring us forward a bit faster to achieve our goal to develop high quality games on consoles." Before you start getting excited for a console port of Crysis or something, know that Crytek has not revealed any projects yet, though we could be hearing about something sooner rather than later. Employees there are set to begin work on a major project soon, Yerli confirmed.
