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Crytek USA, Vigil devs aim to get the band back together with new studio
David Adams, formerly of Darksiders series development studio Vigil Games, has formed a new studio: Gunfire Games. It is a studio comprised of seven team members from Crytek USA, which itself was formed entirely from ex-Vigil staff in the wake of the THQ closure and auction. In other words, in the span of 18 months, Adams has gone from Vigil employee to Crytek employee to founder of his own studio. Adams told Polygon that the decision to leave Crytek was due in part to financial issues which recently hit the company - issues that Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli says were not as bad as you may think - but also due to the fact that people were abandoning Crytek's ship, many of whom Adams wanted to keep working with. "It really was the team," Adams said. "When you make a game, one of the most important elements of that is the people you work with. You could get 12 of the best developers in the world and put them into a room and they may not make a good game." Adams also said that he "jumped" at joining Crytek, which in hindsight may not have been the best decision. "Having gone through this a second time, the first time we jumped on the first deal that sounded good; this time, we feel a little more confident in our abilities," said Gunfire studio director Matt Guzenda. "We walked away from them, not the other way around." Adams and Guzenda told Polygon they're working to bring more of the original Vigil team together, and are knocking around ideas for what they want to do next, which Adams expressed could include more Darksiders games, should IP owner Nordic Games give their support. In the meantime, Crytek USA has been relieved of their development on Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age. [Image: Gunfire Games]
Crytek co-op monster-blasting game Hunt switches studios
Homefront: The Revolution won't be the only Crytek game changing hands, the German publisher/developer studio has revealed. Following up on today's news that the Homefront IP had shifted to publisher Deep Silver, Crytek has announced that work on Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age will move from Crytek's Austin studio to its Frankfurt location. "Crytek will retain a presence in Austin, with several staff members maintaining the CRYENGINE support team to assist North American licensees," Crytek said in a statement. "Employees who are not set to be part of that support team will be invited to apply for new positions at Crytek in Germany." You may remember Crytek USA as the team comprised of staff from Vigil, the development studio behind the Darksiders games. That property now rests with Nordic, who are still figuring out what to do with it ever since buying it in the wake of the THQ auction last year. [Image: Crytek]
Crytek's Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age takes co-op to the 19th century
Crytek's second unveiling in as many days is Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, a four-player action game that combines the prosperous industrialization of the late 19th century with pistols, crossbows and a likely bestiary of beasties. Also noteworthy is the developer, Crytek USA, the studio largely formed by ex-employees of Darksiders studio Vigil Games. The third-person game focuses on a band of player hunters seeking out enemy creatures, and it sounds like there are survival horror element to the gameplay, reminiscent of Valve's Left 4 Dead. Crytek's Hunt also has a "special content generation system" which promises no two enemy encounters or environments will be the same. Crytek says Hunt is coming to "PC and consoles" with closed beta testing on PC later this year. The company also notes it's part of its nebulous "Games as a Service" program. So is Arena of Fate, and that's confirmed to be free-to-play. "In Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, players will be counting their bullets and crying out for help as they delve deeper into the shadowy world we've created," said David Adams CEO of Crytek USA and former CEO of Vigil Games. "From the outset of the development process, we've poured our imaginations into the game so that everyone who plays Hunt will discover a challenging experience that feels fresh, captivating and rich in possibilities."
Crytek declares intent to acquire Darksiders IP in April's THQ auction
Crytek USA Corp. CEO David Adams revealed his company will bid on the Darksiders IP when it's auctioned next month. Posting on Twitter, Adams said the property "belongs at home with its creators," referring to himself and the other 35 ex-Vigil employees at the recently-formed Crytek USA studio. Darksiders creator Vigil was shuttered by now defunct publisher THQ.Ryan Stefanelli, Crytek USA principal designer and Vigil co-founder, furthered Adams' comments. Talking to Destructoid, Stefanelli said, "When the Darksiders IP goes up for auction, Crytek will be bidding for it. Not much more to say since the rest is left up to courts and legal shenanigans, but we're all excited at the prospect."The IP, which comprises the two Darksiders games, goes up for sale on April 1 in THQ's back catalog auction, with bidding ending on April 15. Other properties in the impending auction include Homeworld and Red Faction.
Crytek USA was the result of a single meeting
The formation of Crytek USA was a whirlwind affair, reports GamesBeat, with the fledgling company founded on the basis of a single meeting. On Friday, January 25, the day that Vigil Games was officially shuttered, studio head David Adams was told that Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli was flying in from Germany. "He came out the next day," said Adams told. "We met, and the day after we were pulling a new studio together called Crytek USA." Yerli had spoken with Adams during the final days of THQ. Crytek had considered bidding on Vigil during the auction of THQ assets, but Yerli said there were "too many unknowns."He had been impressed by Adams, however, and Crytek had already decided its US operation would be based in Austin, Texas, Vigil's home turf. Yerli flew out to meet with Adams on a Saturday, the day after Vigil shut down. They held a meeting with the former Vigil staff the next day, and it was the team's solidarity under Adams that sealed the deal for Yerli. "When they all showed up and expressed that they really wanted to work together - that team integrity and the fact that they really didn't want to split up was enough for me to say this goes beyond an interview."Yerli didn't read a single resume or conduct any formal interviews, even for Adams. The team's commitment, and the quality of the Darksiders series, was enough. And that Monday, three days after Vigil closed down forever, Crytek USA was born.
Crytek USA to be headed by former Vigil boss
Crysis developer Crytek has formed Crytek USA Corp. in Austin, Texas. Crytek notes the Austin studio is its ninth worldwide and will be headed by former Vigil general manager David Adams, who'll oversee a team of "35 experienced developers."Gamasutra asked Crytek if the new Austin studio was basically a purchase of defunct publisher THQ's shuttered Vigil Games, but Crytek informed the outlet it was "more like a new start for [the team at Vigil]."Vestiges of Vigil aren't the only thing Crytek picked up out of the THQ bankruptcy, purchasing the rights to Homefront for a half-million.Update: IGN has confirmed all 35 employees are former Vigil staff. [Image: Kushal Bose via Shutterstock]
