Crytek
Encyclopedia
Crytek is a German
video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish
brothers: Cevat
, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany
, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul
. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry
and the CryEngine
that the game uses, and later Crysis
and CryEngine 2. Their most recent major product is Crysis 2
and its supporting CryEngine 3. Crytek has partnerships with Electronic Arts
, Ubisoft
, NVIDIA
, Intel, AMD
, FMOD
, Scaleform
, Xoreax Software, Sparkasse Coburg, and Rating Services. Crytek's 629-member development team is composed of game professionals from over 36 nations.
, Germany. Crytek first attracted publicity at the 2000 ECTS
with their tech demo
at the NVIDIA
booth. For several years thereafter, they released numerous demos of a game called X-Isle, which ultimately evolved into Far Cry
. On May 2, 2002, Crytek announced the game engine CryEngine
.
In 2003, Crytek attended the Game Developers Conference
, where they showcased their new engine and its technology. "We've got awesome demonstrations planned which will showcase the very latest CryEngine technology, including Tools (CryEDIT, Exporters), Visuals (Polybump, Lighting & Shadows), Audio (Dynamic Music with full Dolby Digital 5.1 support), A.I. (Easy to Script) and Physics (Rope, Rag Doll, Liquid) plus the uniquely [sic] rendering power of the CryEngine."
Also in 2003, Crytek was at ECTS again, where Far Cry
was awarded "Best PC Game". In the same month, Crytek modified CryEngine
to be optimized for AMD64.
In February 2004, German police carried out a morning raid on Crytek offices, acting on an ex-intern's claim that Crytek was using software illegally. The police investigated for more software copies than licenses purchased but ultimately found nothing.
That same month, Crytek and Electronic Arts
announced a strategic partnership. In December 2004, Crytek and ATI created a special cinematic machinima
to demonstrate the future of PC gaming.
On January 23, 2006, Crytek announced the development of Crysis
, promising that it would be an original first person shooter with a new kind of gameplay challenge requiring "adaptive tactics". The game later won several Best PC Game awards from E3 and Games Convention
.
In April 2006, Crytek moved to new offices in Frankfurt.
The first public demonstration of Crytek's CryEngine 2 was on January 23, 2007, one year after Crysis was announced. It has been licensed by many companies such as Avatar Reality
, WeMade Entertainment
, Entropia Universe
, XLGames, Reloaded Studios, 1st Educational Institution, and Games Academy GmbH.
On May 11, 2007, Crytek announced that their satellite studio in Kyiv, Ukraine
, had been upgraded to a full development studio, giving the company its second development studio. The second studio is currently working on a game based on Crytek's new intellectual property
.
About a week after the upgrade of the Kyiv studio, Crytek announced a new studio in Budapest
, Hungary
. Like the Kiev studio, the Budapest studio focused heavily on development with the CryEngine 2.
Crytek attended The G*STAR Game and Trade Show in Seoul
, South Korea
from November 8–11, 2007.
On July 14, 2008, Crytek bought Black Sea Studios and renamed it to Crytek Black Sea.
On November 17, 2008, Crytek opened an office in South Korea named Crytek, Ltd. The office is headed by Young Mok Park and focused on CryEngine 2 licensing to Korean clients.
On September 12, 2008, an expansion of Crysis entitled Crysis Warhead
was released as a PC-exclusive game.
On February 3, 2009, Crytek purchased Free Radical Design
, a British
video game company known for the TimeSplitters series
, and renamed the company to Crytek UK.
On March 11, 2009, Crytek announced on the company's website that it would introduce CryEngine 3 at the 2009 Game Developers Conference
, from March 25–27. This new engine was developed for use on PlayStation 3
, Xbox 360
and PCs.
On October 14, 2009, the CryEngine 3 engine became available in trade flow for game developers.
On March 3, 2010, CryEngine 3 was made compatible with stereoscopic 3D technology.
On March 22, 2011, Crytek released Crysis 2
, a direct sequel to the original game, in North America
. The game was subsequently release in the European Union
on March 24, and in Australia
on March 25.
At E3 2011, Crytek exhibited several new projects, including the Kinect-based action game Ryse
.
On September 20, 2011, THQ and Crytek announced a partnership in which Homefront 2 will be developed by Crytek's Nottingham
studio using the latest CryEngine technology.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
brothers: Cevat
Cevat Yerli
Cevat Yerli is a Turkish computer game developer located in Germany who is the founder, CEO and President of Crytek. Crytek is an interactive entertainment development company founded by Cevat Yerli in 1997 - formally turned into a company in 1999. His brothers, Faruk and Avni, joined Crytek in...
, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry
Far Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
and the CryEngine
CryENGINE
CryEngine is a game engine used for the first-person shooter computer game Far Cry. It was originally developed by Crytek as a technology demo for Nvidia and, when the company saw its potential, it was turned into a game....
that the game uses, and later Crysis
Crysis
Crysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar...
and CryEngine 2. Their most recent major product is Crysis 2
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts and released in North America, Australia, and Europe in March 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
and its supporting CryEngine 3. Crytek has partnerships with Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
, Intel, AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. or AMD is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for commercial and consumer markets...
, FMOD
FMOD
FMOD is a proprietary audio library made by Firelight Technologies that plays music files of diverse formats on many different operating system platforms, used in games and software applications to provide audio functionality....
, Scaleform
Scaleform
Scaleform Corporation is a developer providing middleware for use in the video game industry. Their most recent software, Scaleform GFx, is a vector graphics rendering engine used to display Adobe Flash-based user interfaces, HUDs, and animated textures for games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X,...
, Xoreax Software, Sparkasse Coburg, and Rating Services. Crytek's 629-member development team is composed of game professionals from over 36 nations.
History
Crytek was founded by the Turkish Yerli brothers in 1999 in CoburgCoburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, Germany. Crytek first attracted publicity at the 2000 ECTS
European Computer Trade Show
The European Computer Trade Show, commonly known as ECTS, was an annual trade show for the European computer and video game industry, which first ran in 1988, with the last event occurring in 2004....
with their tech demo
Tech demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
at the NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
booth. For several years thereafter, they released numerous demos of a game called X-Isle, which ultimately evolved into Far Cry
Far Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
. On May 2, 2002, Crytek announced the game engine CryEngine
CryENGINE
CryEngine is a game engine used for the first-person shooter computer game Far Cry. It was originally developed by Crytek as a technology demo for Nvidia and, when the company saw its potential, it was turned into a game....
.
In 2003, Crytek attended the Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, where they showcased their new engine and its technology. "We've got awesome demonstrations planned which will showcase the very latest CryEngine technology, including Tools (CryEDIT, Exporters), Visuals (Polybump, Lighting & Shadows), Audio (Dynamic Music with full Dolby Digital 5.1 support), A.I. (Easy to Script) and Physics (Rope, Rag Doll, Liquid) plus the uniquely [sic] rendering power of the CryEngine."
Also in 2003, Crytek was at ECTS again, where Far Cry
Far Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
was awarded "Best PC Game". In the same month, Crytek modified CryEngine
CryENGINE
CryEngine is a game engine used for the first-person shooter computer game Far Cry. It was originally developed by Crytek as a technology demo for Nvidia and, when the company saw its potential, it was turned into a game....
to be optimized for AMD64.
In February 2004, German police carried out a morning raid on Crytek offices, acting on an ex-intern's claim that Crytek was using software illegally. The police investigated for more software copies than licenses purchased but ultimately found nothing.
That same month, Crytek and Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
announced a strategic partnership. In December 2004, Crytek and ATI created a special cinematic machinima
Machinima
Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...
to demonstrate the future of PC gaming.
On January 23, 2006, Crytek announced the development of Crysis
Crysis
Crysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar...
, promising that it would be an original first person shooter with a new kind of gameplay challenge requiring "adaptive tactics". The game later won several Best PC Game awards from E3 and Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
.
In April 2006, Crytek moved to new offices in Frankfurt.
The first public demonstration of Crytek's CryEngine 2 was on January 23, 2007, one year after Crysis was announced. It has been licensed by many companies such as Avatar Reality
Avatar Reality
Avatar Reality is a Honolulu-based game studio founded by Henk B. Rogers and Kazuyuki Hashimoto in December 2006. Rogers with Alexy Pajitnov is known for creating Tetris and introducing it to the world and especially to US markets, and Kazuyuki is best known for developing the game Final Fantasy...
, WeMade Entertainment
Wemade Entertainment
WeMade Entertainment Co., Ltd is an online games developer and service provider, based in Seoul, South Korea. They are the creators of the Legend of Mir series of MMORPGs, the two most successful being The Legend of Mir 2, and its sequel The Legend of Mir 3...
, Entropia Universe
Entropia Universe
Entropia Universe is a massively multiplayer online virtual universe designed by the Swedish software company MindArk, based in Gothenburg. Entropia uses a micropayment business model, in which players may buy in-game currency with real money that can be redeemed back into real world funds at a...
, XLGames, Reloaded Studios, 1st Educational Institution, and Games Academy GmbH.
On May 11, 2007, Crytek announced that their satellite studio in Kyiv, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, had been upgraded to a full development studio, giving the company its second development studio. The second studio is currently working on a game based on Crytek's new intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
.
About a week after the upgrade of the Kyiv studio, Crytek announced a new studio in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Like the Kiev studio, the Budapest studio focused heavily on development with the CryEngine 2.
Crytek attended The G*STAR Game and Trade Show in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
from November 8–11, 2007.
On July 14, 2008, Crytek bought Black Sea Studios and renamed it to Crytek Black Sea.
On November 17, 2008, Crytek opened an office in South Korea named Crytek, Ltd. The office is headed by Young Mok Park and focused on CryEngine 2 licensing to Korean clients.
On September 12, 2008, an expansion of Crysis entitled Crysis Warhead
Crysis Warhead
Crysis Warhead is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game developed by the studio Crytek Budapest, Hungary, and published by Electronic Arts. Crysis Warhead is a stand-alone expansion game and does not require Crysis installed to play...
was released as a PC-exclusive game.
On February 3, 2009, Crytek purchased Free Radical Design
Free Radical Design
Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, is a video game developer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, probably best known for Second Sight and the TimeSplitters series. After going into financial administration, it was announced on February 4 2009 that the studio had been acquired by...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
video game company known for the TimeSplitters series
TimeSplitters (series)
TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games created by Free Radical Design. The games are often compared to Rare's shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark since Free Radical Design was founded by a group of ex-Rare employees who developed these games...
, and renamed the company to Crytek UK.
On March 11, 2009, Crytek announced on the company's website that it would introduce CryEngine 3 at the 2009 Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, from March 25–27. This new engine was developed for use on PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PCs.
On October 14, 2009, the CryEngine 3 engine became available in trade flow for game developers.
On March 3, 2010, CryEngine 3 was made compatible with stereoscopic 3D technology.
On March 22, 2011, Crytek released Crysis 2
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts and released in North America, Australia, and Europe in March 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
, a direct sequel to the original game, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The game was subsequently release in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
on March 24, and in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on March 25.
At E3 2011, Crytek exhibited several new projects, including the Kinect-based action game Ryse
Ryse
Ryse is a first person hack and slash video game in development by Crytek and to be published by Microsoft Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360.-Gameplay:...
.
On September 20, 2011, THQ and Crytek announced a partnership in which Homefront 2 will be developed by Crytek's Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
studio using the latest CryEngine technology.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform | Branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Far Cry Far Cry Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release... |
Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... |
Crytek |
| 2007 | Crysis Crysis Crysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar... |
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers... |
Crytek Frankfurt |
| 2008 | Crysis Warhead Crysis Warhead Crysis Warhead is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game developed by the studio Crytek Budapest, Hungary, and published by Electronic Arts. Crysis Warhead is a stand-alone expansion game and does not require Crysis installed to play... |
Microsoft Windows | Crytek Budapest |
| 2011 | Crysis 2 Crysis 2 Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts and released in North America, Australia, and Europe in March 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360... |
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
Crytek Frankfurt/Crytek UK |
| TBA | Ryse Ryse Ryse is a first person hack and slash video game in development by Crytek and to be published by Microsoft Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360.-Gameplay:... |
Xbox 360 | Crytek Frankfurt |
| TBA | Warface Warface (video game) Warface is an online video game being developed by Crytek. Warface is a free-to-play multiplayer military shooter. The game is exclusive to the PC and is powered by CryEngine 3. Being developed in Kiev and co-produced by Crytek Seoul and Crytek Frankfurt, it was originally aimed for a release in... |
Microsoft Windows | Crytek Seoul |
| TBA | TimeSplitters 4 TimeSplitters 4 TimeSplitters 4 is the proposed fourth installment of the TimeSplitters series, to be developed by Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, the developers responsible for the first three installments in the series.-Development:... |
TBA | Crytek UK |
| TBA | Homefront 2 | TBA | Crytek UK |