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Crytek CEO: company is 'absolutely' safe, bankruptcy 'never the case'
If Crytek's "transitional phase" remains sustainable, it will become a go-to example among industry insiders of how not to handle such a difficult time. Speaking with Eurogamer, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli opens up about how the company has shifted its strategy from retail to software as a service, which was clearly not handled internally with the transparency required to control chatter. "[Going] out of business or bankruptcy, in my mind, was never the case. We have tried to communicate this as much as we can to everybody. But I understand some employees of Crytek have been in other companies under similar situations and they have gone out of business," Yerli told Eurogamer. "We have a lot of substance in Crytek."
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."
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."
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.
Crytek's franchise getting more 'flexible' after Crysis 3, possibly F2P
Though the tale of Prophet, the guy underneath the nanosuit, will conclude with Crysis 3, Crytek is hardly ready to call it quits on that universe. Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek, says it "doesn't mean it's the end of the franchise." In fact, Crytek is already in the initial stages of developing the next Crysis game."There can be literally tonnes of titles out there within the franchise," Yerli told Eurogamer. "Unlike Far Cry, this time around we feel very flexible about Crysis." Yerli says that calling the next game Crysis 4 "would be misleading" since it would "imply the story just moves on" after Crysis 3."We do have a plan for a F2P version of Crysis, but how this looks and when this will be done, whether this is the next one or the next next one, is to be decided," Yerli added. "But we have a very clear picture of how this will look in a transitional period where retail and free-to-play can coexist for one title."
Crytek CEO: CryEngine 3 Wii U game coming from a 'respected developer'
Though Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli thinks highly of the Wii U, he doesn't seem to believe the German developer has "a business case" that "justifies" developing a game for the system. Yerli adds, however, that Crytek's impressive engine (powering Crysis 3 next) has already been licensed for a Wii U project. "It doesn't mean that CryEngine 3 doesn't run on Wii U – it actually runs beautifully," Yerli told CVG. "In fact, there actually is a game in development from a respected developer that we will be announcing. I've seen the game running and it looks really great."As for the prowess of the tech powering Nintendo's next console, Yerli thinks it's "minimum as powerful as Xbox 360."
Crytek CEO: TimeSplitters could return as free-to-play title
Crytek won't be making a traditional retail TimeSplitters title, according to Cevat Yerli, the company's CEO (not a huge surprise, really). In an interview with VideoGamer, Yerli said he wished the company could develop it, saying, "I love the idea, I love the brand, I love everything – but the publishers don't." He added that he doesn't "want to spend [Crytek's] money on the project in a retail business."It sounds dour to be sure, but Yerli quickly turned the tables, saying that TimeSplitters could be resurrected as a free-to-play title. Crytek recently made some waves announcing that it would be moving entirely toward a free-to-play business model after the launch of Crysis 3. The transition will be supported entirely by GFACE, Crytek's own game-streaming service.Regarding the possibility of a new TimeSplitters on GFACE, Yerli was pretty clear: "I love the picture of a Timesplitters running on GFACE."When a TimeSplitters sequel was referred to as gaming's Bigfoot – its Yeti, if you will – Yerli noted that "if we get enough fans, being loud enough," then "the Yeti can come back, on GFACE."
Post-Crysis 3, Crytek goes free-to-play
Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli revealed that all future projects from the company will be free-to-play, according to an interview with VideoGamer.com. Yerli noted that "the future is online and free-to-play," and that the company is in a transitional phase, focusing future games and platforms around those models after completing current contracts for games in development.Crytek's first game to venture into the free-to-play market is Warface, first introduced to Asian regions in late 2010 and coming to North America in 2012. Yerli cited Warface as an example of future titles from the company, which "implies budgets of between $10 million to $30 million... but at the price-point of $0 entry."Yerli explained that the free-to-play business model is the most user-friendly, as opposed to premium content structures. "If you look at what kind of games are done in the packaged goods market, with DLCs and premium services and whatnot, it's literally milking the customers to death," he said.Crytek's free-to-play games will be supported by its game streaming network Gface, which went into beta in February.
Crytek developing Homefront sequel with THQ
Having shuttered Kaos Studios, the developer of Homefront, THQ has secured a new partnership to develop the next title in the FPS franchise. A sequel to Homefront will be developed in collaboration with Crytek, the company behind Far Cry, Crysis and the visually opulent CryEngine platform. "We see Homefront as a really strong universe that has a lot of potential and that has been expertly created and marketed by THQ," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. He's certainly right about the expert marketing. After plastering America with adverts, THQ overcame tepid critical response and shipped over 2.6 million copies of Homefront by the end of March 2011. Yerli suggests that Crytek has been granted a reassuring amount of "creative freedom" over Homefront, and aims to bring its war-ravaged world to life "in a new and innovative way." It'll take some time, though -- the Homefront sequel is scheduled to launch on PC and consoles in THQ's fiscal 2014, meaning anywhere between April 2013 and March 2014. Update: Joystiq has confirmed that the Homefront sequel will be built by Crytek's Nottingham, UK studio on the "latest" CryEngine technology.
Crysis coming to PSN and Xbox Live this October [updated]
Following an early ratings leak, an Xbox 360 and PS3 release of Crysis 1 was announced on last night's episode of GameTrailers TV. Crytek president and CEO Cevat Yerli explained that the game had long been requested on consoles, and will be arriving this October via Xbox Live Arcade (Games on Demand seems more likely) and PlayStation Network. The game is said to be "remastered" with new lighting effects and streamlined Nanosuit abilities, and probably borrows some interface adjustments from Crysis 2. No price or exact date has been given to Crysis on consoles, but given the proximity to October we expect to hear more very soon. Update: EA announced that the game will cost 1600 Microsoft Points/$19.99, and will have stereoscopic 3D support.
Crysis 2 editor coming this summer, CryEngine 3 SDK in August
Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, has posted an extensive open letter to Crysis 2 modders on Crymod.com laying out an impressive future for the CryEngine mod scene. First and foremost, Yerli confirms that a Crysis 2 editor is coming this summer, but that news is overshadowed by the announcement of a free CryEngine 3 development kit, which Crytek is making available in August. Essentially, anyone who wants to will be able to download "the latest, greatest version of CryEngine 3," and go to town with everything from the engine code to actual game sample code (from Crysis 2), scripts and all of the tools Crytek used to make Crysis 2. This is big news for modders, as it presents a viable, no-cost alternative to Unreal Engine 3 (which has a similar plan available) and access to all of the shiny features for anyone interested -- though developers who wish to release a game commercially will still have to license the engine. [Thanks, Jackal]
Crytek boss explains company's 'non-game' businesses
While Crytek is known for their games, the company actually makes a good deal of money on non-game businesses. Gamasutra quizzed Crytek studio head Cevat Yerli about the company's rapid expansion from "developer of Far Cry" to becoming a massive, international organization that currently employs six game studios -- in locations as varied as the UK, Budapest, Frankfurt Kiev, Sofia, and Korea. CryEngine 3 licensing brings in some dough, but how else does Crytek maintain its operations? "We have some other contracts going on as well for some other non-game industries," Yerli explained. "We have a lot of contracts going on from gas and oil companies, General Electric, all the way to SOCOM. We have a lot of military companies working with our technology, in fact." According to Yerli, Crytek works on "whatever" these partners want, utilizing their tech know-how to create simulations. Considering how impressive CryEngine looks on a home PC, we're curious to know what Crytek can pull off on a military-grade super-computer. The experience would probably shatter our perception of reality.
Crysis 2 to support 3D on all platforms
EA has claimed that Crytek's Crysis 2 will be the first "true 3D" game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This is likely EA's marquee 3D title promised at the last Electronic Arts investor call. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli stated that the "3D revolution" is part of the team's continued "strive to raise the technology bar ... The 3D experience represents a quantum leap in interactive entertainment. With all of the same story and action seen in the 2D version of the game, the 3D version adds another dimension of intensity and immersion to the action." But can your PC TV run it?
Chaos Rings hits top grossing, going to the iPad
Square Enix's new original iPhone title, Chaos Rings, is a qualified hit; it's currently sitting right on top of the United States' top grossing apps list and at number 18 on the top paid apps list. The reviews are terrific as well, which means that Square Enix has pulled off a hit iPhone game at the surprising price of US$12.99. The company hasn't missed the message, either. It's bringing Chaos Rings to the iPad soon, and is also hard at work on more original titles for Apple's handheld systems. We don't know how the iPad version, Chaos Rings HD, will be priced, or if it will be included for those who have already purchased the game on the iPhone (that'd be great, wouldn't it?). Clearly, though, there is still a market for well-done, top level games (even at high price points). We don't know if Square Enix actually made money on this one (the craft on display certainly didn't come cheap), but App Store customers are certainly buying. At the same time, other big-name developers aren't so sure. Crytek (makers of Crysis for the PC) CEO Cevat Yerli claims that App Store pricing has been nothing but a burden for game developers, and he says that, even outside of Apple's ecosystem, game prices in general are being driven down by the App Store. "It's pushing out games at such a low price that it distorts the perception of what a game should be priced at," he said in a recent interview. "IPad and iPhone are both doing a real disservice to game prices by allowing games at such low price points – it is an issue the industry has to address." That's an interesting take. There are certainly a number of factors involved in lower game prices lately (not the least of which is digital distribution, which has grown immensely in the past few years). However, a game like Chaos Rings seems to prove that it's still all about the gameplay. If game developers can make a great game that players want to play, they can more or less name their price.
Crytek boss: free game demos 'prohibitively expensive'
Crytek co-founder Cevat Yerli tells Develop that you might be paying money just for the privilege of trying Crysis 2 before it comes out. Yerli calls free game demos an antiquated "luxury" that have become "prohibitively expensive" to produce. The result: many studios will either stop releasing them or try to charge for an early test of the game. EA has already brought this idea up as "pre-launch DLC," and Yerli says that what EA is "really trying to do is get investment back but while being as fair to the gamer as much as it can." He continues, "Ultimately, it will be a better deal for the gamer." Yerli says his company hasn't yet decided whether there will be a demo for Crysis 2 or not, though he thankfully admits that a paid demo should be "something more than a small demo released for free." Takeaway is the same, regardless: because of the development cost of building a giveaway level or two before launch, Yerli says the days of free demos are numbered. [Via BigDownload]
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 road map has next generation starting in 2012, next engine will be ready
A running theme through Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli's presentation at GDC Europe today was the number 2012. Sure, he mentioned 2013 also, but the next Year of the Tiger showed up nearly a dozen-plus times in the executive's presentation about "the future of gaming graphics." Yerli tells Joystiq that the reason for the number is that it's the company's internal "road map" of when the next generation will begin. "We will have our next engine ready by that, independently whether there will be hardware or not. We are assuming based on the cycle -- the Moore's Law -- and everything," Yerli told us. "If you predict the computational power and trend. You kinda know how much CPU and GPU will be there and trend. If you take those things into account you can sort of predict where things are going." Yerli explained that the more console-centric CryEngine 3 will have more updates in the meantime, but its next "major architectural version" of the CryEngine should be ready by 2012. He wasn't sure if they'll call it the CryEngine 4 (our money says: they will). [Image: Dennis Stachel]
Crytek CEO asks GDC audience to kill 'killerspiel' law, won't leave Germany unless forced out
During his keynote address at GDC Europe in Cologne, Germany, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli requested the audience support the petition against the host-country's bill, which is seeking to ban any games in the region "where the main part is to realistically play the killing of people or other cruel or un-human acts of violence against humans or manlike characters." Yerli told the audience toward the conclusion of his presentation: "[This law] means that Crytek will be literally forced out of the country." Yerli's tone about the German law was more serious than his previous statement on the subject, so we caught up with him after the keynote. We asked if he's threatening to leave the country if the law passes, or if he thinks the company will be pushed out. He told us, "This is the point, two or three years ago we were thinking 'What is this?' This is like disrespecting our company.' We said we will not change our strategy. Today we think we are literally forced to make a change." It appears that Yerli still isn't looking to change Crytek's direction, despite the government threats. And it appears he really doesn't want to move, telling us, "If you move a company, you think of it as: let's move the company strategically, so we get more benefit out of this country. But moving it because a law comes in is too reactive for us. We're not thinking of moving unless the law happens." [Image: Dennis Stachel]
Crytek concerned about German 'killerspiel' banning law
Crytek's CEO is expressing serious concern over the German bill currently making its way around the Bundestag that would ban games "where the main part is to realistically play the killing of people or other cruel or un-human acts of violence against humans or manlike characters." So, you know, most of the fun stuff.CEO Cevat Yerli expressed in a statement that a ban on action games was "like banning the German artists that create them." He continued, "If the German creative community can't effectively participate in one of the most important cultural mediums of our future, will we be forced to relocate to other countries?"Considering Crytek is probably the most well-known German developer, it wouldn't exactly be in the country's best interest if the firm left.
Crytek says Cry Engine 3 ready for next-gen, working very closely with Microsoft and Sony
Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli had some major statements to make about the future of console development and his company's proprietary engine, CryENGINE 3. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Yerli said, "If I want to make a next-gen launch title I could do that by pushing the boundaries of the engine," referencing CryENGINE 3 as the bridge between generations. Expounding on the reasoning behind this, Yerli said, "If it's for PS3 you can develop on the PS3 and you're done with it ... the next hardware comes along you have to start again. Whatever happens, we don't want developers to be the victims of change and repositioning."Crytek has stated before that it expects the next-gen by 2011 -- a predicition it's not alone in making -- but never before has it made these type of assertions with such authority. Citing talks with Microsoft and Sony, Yerli says, "We wanted to make an engine that's ready for next-gen inherently. Writing the driver layers for the next PlayStation or next Xbox will be quite simple for us." So what you're saying is Crysis 2 will be coming packed-in with the X-Station 2160? Count us in![Thanks, Mocib]
