"The transformation was painful. We paid the price"
Crytek boss Cevat Yerli on unpaid wages, Ryse 2 and the future.
It's been tough at Crytek this year.
In fact, we've heard developers at the company's vast network of studios, who are responsible for the likes of first-person shooter Crysis, gory action game Ryse and, as of a month ago, Homefront: The Revolution, first noticed something was up as early as 2012.
In truth Crytek has had its ups and downs throughout its 15 year history. But this year was perhaps its most dramatic down, with reports of staff going unpaid for months on end, the cancellation of Ryse 2 and vociferous criticism of its focus on free-to-play.
Reports indicated Crytek was close to bankruptcy as it worked to secure investment that would guarantee its future. Then, last month, management announced Crytek had received backing from a mysterious benefactor and all was well again. Following that, the sale of Homefront and Crytek UK to publisher Deep Silver - a move we understand had been in the works for some time and staff at the studio were hoping for after a stressful 12 months.
Digging deeper, we discover Crytek has also downsized its Austin, Texas studio, shifting development of Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age to its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, leaving what was once the continuation of the Darksiders development team to support companies using Crytek's CryEngine technology. Whatever the press releases say, it's clear Crytek has cut costs and has reduced its staff count, which at one point was a staggering 950 spread across nine studios.
Throughout all this the people at the top of Crytek refused to speak to press - until now. Here, in an exclusive and extensive interview with Eurogamer, Crytek founder and CEO Cevat Yerli finally discusses the troubles at his company, defends his policies and personal management style, and explains why he's sticking with free-to-play. Read on for Crytek's plans - or lack of - for Timesplitters, Crysis and Ryse, as it switches from being a game developer to a game service.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-08-08-the-transformation-was-painful-we-paid-the-price
Cevat Yerli as usual sounds like a douche.
