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Warface quitting the Xbox 360 in February
Warface has a sad face, at least on the Xbox 360. Crytek announced today that it is closing its free-to-play shooter on Microsoft's last-gen console. New players will no longer be allowed, but existing players may continue to shoot each other until the February 1st closing date. Warface isn't dead, apparently, as Crytek's statement alluded to a "vibrant community enjoying regular new content and co-op and versus action" on the PC.
Warface lays down its guns on Xbox 360
Developer Crytek has announced that it will soon shutter the Xbox 360 version of its free-to-play military shooter Warface. "In the run up to February 1st next year, we'll be gradually winding down Warface service on Xbox 360," reads a notice posted to Crytek's Facebook page. "Existing players will still be able to play the game and use any content they have already acquired until the game closure date. However, effective today, no new players will be able to join and current players will no longer be able to purchase additional Warface Kredits." Any existing Kredits players might have must be spent within the game prior to February 1, 2015 or they'll simply vanish. Finally, Crytek thanks its players for spending time shooting one another on the Xbox 360, and hopes that they can find their way to the PC version of the game, an iteration that the developer points out is still "enjoying regular new content." [Image: Crytek]
Free-to-play shooter Warface visits Siberia with a friend
Fans of Warface (not to be confused with Warcraft, Warframe, Faceball 2000 or these abominations) should invest in warm clothing for two, as the game's next setting is a cooperative mission in the snowy Altai Mountains of Siberia. "The stunning new Co-op setting, Operation Cold Peak, will test experienced players to their limits as they target a secluded stronghold located high in Siberia's Altai Mountains," reads an official description from developer Crytek. "Teamwork will be key as players bid to crack Blackwood's icy grip and advance through three separate stages on their ascent. Along the way, they'll have to brave the elements as well as enemy fire, and stay on track when blizzards suddenly strike up to change the state of play." According to Crytek, Operation Cold Peak will feature three new maps as well as new boss characters. Like all Warface updates, Operation Cold Peak will be available at no charge, though Crytek has yet to reveal when these new maps will debut. While you wait, have a look at the teaser beyond the break. [Image: Crytek]
Xbox Live Gold free on Xbox 360 this weekend
Xbox 360 owners lacking an Xbox Live Gold subscription will have a chance to test drive the program throughout the weekend. The Free Gold Weekend began early this morning and runs through midnight on October 12. Alongside online multiplayer functionality, joining the Free Gold Weekend also grants Xbox 360 owners access to a number of free to play games usually reserved for Gold subscribers, including Warface, World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition and Happy Wars. Of course, all of that is in addition to the discounts and special promotions only available to Gold subscribers that are open to all Xbox 360 owners this weekend. How do you sign up? You don't. There's no entry requirement for the Free Gold Weekend beyond owning a functional Xbox 360 and a viable Internet connection. Simply fire the console up and you'll find gratis access to the suite of Xbox Live Gold content. [Image: Microsoft]
Warface faces a war on Steam
Steam users can also try to stare out Crytek's Warface, now that the online free-to-play shooter is available on the portal. Warface is already available on PC as well as Xbox 360, but the publisher will be hoping the addition of the Steam beta will provide a timely boost to the Cryengine game's 25 million registrants. Amid the Steam release and unsettling, albeit denied reports, it's been a busy old time for Crytek of late. In the last two months the German studio unveiled MOBA Arena of Fate, the Crytek UK-developed Homefront: The Revolution, and 19th century co-op action game Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age from Crytek USA. [Image: Crytek]
Elder Scrolls Online, free-to-play games still require Xbox Live Gold
One of Microsoft's big announcements today was the restructuring of Xbox Live Gold; the company will now allow Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners to use entertainment apps like Netflix and HBO Go without requiring a paid Xbox Live subscription. As Microsoft's Phil Spencer clarified to Joystiq today, the latest in a series of "Xbox One-80s" doesn't apply to free-to-play and subscription-based online games. "Right now we haven't changed the policy on MMOs and free-to-play games," Spencer said. While not getting into specifics, he noted that with some games there are "engineering constraints, policy constraints and partner constraints in each one of these scenarios," so the decision to keep games behind the Xbox Live paywall reportedly doesn't rest solely in Microsoft's hands. Bethesda's latest MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, will still require a Gold subscription on top of the developer's own monthly fees. For the time being, at least; Microsoft has "about six months" to consider changing its policies, as the game was recently delayed for consoles. The developer was in talks with Microsoft back in August to cut the extra fees for The Elder Scrolls Online, which won't be enforced by Sony via PlayStation Plus for PS4.
Warface exits beta, enters warzone on Xbox 360
As was previously announced, Crytek Kiev-developed FPS Warface officially launched on Xbox 360 today following its near one-month open beta phase. The game is free for all Xbox Live Gold subscribers to play, and features four soldier classes, playable in cooperative multiplayer raids as well as versus modes. Warface launched on PC in North America in October, later receiving an update with added multiplayer modes in February. The game first debuted in Russia in 2012, and will later come to China, Taiwan and Japan. Crytek revealed late last month that the game reached 25 million registrants. Warface is based on the developer's own CryEngine 3 tech, the same engine used to create games like Crysis 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome. [Image: Crytek]
Warface primed for full launch on Xbox 360 later this month
On April 22, you can demand your Xbox 360 to give you the best wide-eyed, high-decibel cry of Warface it can, because that's when Crytek's free-to-play shooter launches in full. Warface is the first game from Crytek Kiev, and it first arrived on Windows PC last year. This month's transfer to Xbox 360 signals its debut on a home console. Warface uses CryEngine 3, as per Crysis 3 and Ryse, and it offers online military melee in co-op and player-vs-player flavors. Just a reminder: While the game itself is free-to-play, you'll need an Xbox Live Gold account to access it. [Image: Crytek]
Warface registers 25 million combatants
Warface, Crytek's free-to-play online shooter, has reached the milestone of 25 million registered users. The fragfest launched in April 2012 in Russia, followed by European and North American expansions in 2013. The big play comes later this year when the game enters open beta in China, followed by Japan and Taiwan. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli voiced his appreciation on Twitter this morning: "Thanks to our fans and teams for your support and dedication!" The game entered open beta on Xbox 360 last week. [Image: Crytek]
Warface beta opens to all Xbox Live Gold users on Xbox 360
The Warface beta is open to all Xbox Live users on Xbox 360, following a limited public beta that launched in February. The open beta includes three versus modes from the limited beta, plus two co-op settings and new, daily missions. Warface is Crytek's free-to-play military shooter (with the occasional mech) built in the same engine as Crysis 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome. Yes, it's free, but it requires an Xbox Live Gold account to play. [Image: Crytek]
Warface raids towers, captures new modes
Crytek issued a new update for the PC version of Warface this week, adding two new modes to the multiplayer game. The free-to-play FPS received a co-op mode known as Tower Raid, shown in a new trailer for the game, in addition to the Capture versus mode. Crytek also renamed the Claymore mine in the update, changing it to the "Directional Mine," and increased the item unlock progression speed in both co-op and versus modes. Crytek provided the full patch notes in a post on its GFace social platform. There's no word on whether these modes will wind up on Xbox 360 as well. Warface entered its beta phase on the platform earlier this month, and requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play. [Image: Crytek]
Free-to-play shooter Warface goes beta on Xbox 360 today
Crytek's Warface: Xbox 360 Edition enters its public beta phase today. The free-to-play shooter is powered by the company's own Cryengine technology, the same engine used in games such as Crysis 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome. Players can register for the beta on the game's official site. The PC version of Warface went live for the public in October 2013. While the game is free for FPS fans to jump into, it is only playable by Xbox Live Gold subscribers. This continues a trend for free-to-play and subscription-based games, as both Wargaming's World of Tanks and the full version of Happy Wars require a paid Xbox Live membership to play. Even the upcoming Bethesda MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, which itself requires a monthly subscription, will need a Gold membership on Xbox One.
Warface launches in Europe and North America
Warface. Warface launched. Warface launched today, and so did the requisite Warface launch trailer. As you can see, the word Warface never, ever, gets old no matter how many times you type it, say it aloud, or roll it around in your brainpan. I thought seriously about filling this entire post with 100 instances of the word Warface, but I figured you'd probably like to know that the title is now live in both Europe and North America. As for what you can expect, Warface is a free-to-play class-based multiplayer FPS powered by the CryEngine. Aw heck, just watch the video after the break, will ya?
Crytek CEO: F2P games catching up with next-gen production values is 'just a matter of time'
North America and Europe welcome Warface on PC today, a big step for a game that is itself a big step for its developer, Crytek. Warface is the company's first free-to-play game, the first step in a planned journey that culminates in the Crysis and Ryse studio going fully free-to-play within five years. At the recent DICE Europe conference, CEO Cevat Yerli spoke about closing the visual gap between cinema and games, and how Crytek is using advanced lighting and modeling effects to make Xbox One historical adventure Ryse stand out. Afterwards, I asked Yerli about the difficulties in marrying F2P with the studio's reputation for high-end graphics. "It's just a matter of time," Yerli said. "We already introduced with Warfare a much higher quality relative to the current generation of gaming, and Ryse is [our] first game that launches a next-generation experience. Going forward, I expect free-to-play games to catch up with next-generation offerings as well. So it's really just a matter of time."
Crysis dev's free-to-play shooter opens to the public on October 21
Crytek's multiplayer shooter Warface will go live to the public on October 21. The PC game went through a couple of closed beta periods, and the final one commenced in August. Players can sign up for the game ahead of time on its official site. Warface is expected to pave the way for Crytek's free-to-play ambitions, as CEO Cevat Yerli said in February that the developer and GFace service provider plans to go fully free-to-play within five years. To help its cause, the developer is bringing Warface to Xbox 360 in early 2014, where online play will require a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription. Crytek also opened an Istanbul studio in January to support its free-to-play mission.
Crytek's Warface coming to Xbox 360 in 2014
Crytek's online first-person shooter, Warface, will launch on Xbox 360 in early 2014. The game will retain its free-to-play model in the move to the Microsoft console, though the online play will require an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The PC version of Warface recently entered its final closed beta phase, which players can still apply for on the GFace site. The game will launch later this year in North America, Europe and Turkey. Crytek's free-to-play ambitions don't end with Warface, as CEO Cevat Yerli said in February that the company hopes to better support the free-to-play model within the next five years.
Warface hits the trenches today in final closed beta
Crytek's perpetual in-beta freemium shooter Warface has initiated another closed beta run today, open to all who're registered through Crytek's Gface service. This will be the final round of beta testing before the game launches in North America, Europe and Turkey later this year. Warface, a free-to-play online shooter with multiple classes spanning both competitive and co-operative game modes, is a joint effort between Crytek and Trion Worlds. Warface, in combination with Gface, marks Crytek's first steps toward becoming a fully free-to-play company, which it hopes will happen within the next five years.
Yerli: Crytek plans to be fully free-to-play within 5 years
Crytek's plan to transition to free-to-play games includes expanding the studio's role as a service provider, building upon the GFace gaming platform, CEO Cevat Yerli tells Venture Beat. Crytek should be fully free-to-play within five years, he says."We decided five or six years ago that we want to marry the quality of triple-A games with the business model of free-to-play," Yerli says. "And at that time, we decided some other games, in some of our other studios, would head in this direction. But we kept pushing the quality bar higher on our console business, which is the main dominating business for the Western world, but we are observing, plainly - and we see this already with Warface - that the free-to-play market is on the rise. I think over the next two to three years, free-to-play is going to rival retail with quality games like Warface."Crytek as a business will "transition from a developer to a service company" and will offer GFace to any developer that needs it, Yerli says."If we could launch our games on a platform that already exists today, and we could get the same results, then we wouldn't build our own platform," he says. "But we're convinced that our platform does some particularly new things that makes our games behave better. That's why we plan to offer this service to third parties."In 2012, Yerli laid down plans to transition to free-to-play, though he didn't provide a timeline or any service goals at the time. Still, GFace won't become the new focus at Crytek, Yerli says:"This doesn't mean our main business will be driven by our platform business. We are just going to open it up and see how it works. We are always going to be a games-first company. We will always have our own development because we are all about making games. We provide technology, but technology is not our main driver. We make technology to make great games."
Warface trailer seeks closed beta recruits
Crytek's Warface continues its slow and steady march to the west with a new gameplay trailer. Beyond showcasing the simple joys of free-to-play warfare, the trailer invites players to register for the closed beta. You can sign up for a shot at the beta on the Warface website.
Crytek opens Istanbul (not Constantinople) studio
Crytek recently announced the opening of its eighth studio, Crytek Istanbul. The Turkish studio will support Crytek's free-to-play ambitions as well as the Warface and Gface brands.While Crytek's primary headquarters are located in Germany, its three founders are Turkish brothers: Avni, Faruk and Cevat Yerli, the latter being the developer's CEO. Cevat Yerli recently stressed that Crysis 3 will not make its way to Wii U.
