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Crysis 3 in action (main), and Crytek’s Nick Button-Brown (inset)
A STEADFAST DESIRE to make the impossible a reality characterises Frankfurt’s largest independent developer. Founded in 1999 by Cevat,
technology suppliers – while most of our development happens in Vienna, most of our business is made in Frankfurt,” says Wagner.
SMALL, BUT MIGHTY There is broad agreement from the developers that we spoke to about the city’s excellence as a hub for business. A topic that sparked more varied opinions, however, was what exactly Frankfurt’s core development strength is. Asked whether the urban centre has a
particular studio model that defines the city, Crytek’s Yerli says: “Not really. I think Frankfurt is pretty versatile in that regard. From triple-A to social and mobile games studios, to Nintendo’s European headquarters, to Sony Computer Entertainment – there is nothing Frankfurt and the surrounding region is really lacking in industry terms.” It’s fair assessment. Frankfurt is home to the likes of Keen Games, which makes titles for console and PC, free-to-play outfits, such as Playzo, and service companies, such as Dynamedion. And as Yerli points out, major publishers including Sony, Nintendo, Namco Bandai and Bethesda – and tech firms including Samsung and HTC – have offices in Frankfurt. While they do not necessarily develop their products in the city, the presence of these names indicates that it is frequently where meetings and deals are struck.
DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET On the other hand, Cliffhanger’s Wagner
says: “I think it is actually the small to mid-size model. With the exception of Crytek, most of the devs have between fluctuating between 20 and below 100 employees. We have seen
I think Frankfurt is pretty versatile.
There is nothing Frankfurt and the surrounding region is really lacking in industry terms.
Faruk Yerli, Crytek
the rise and fall of consoles, PCs, browser, mobile and we managed to survive. There is also a special bond of respect between studios here, I think.” Furthermore, the bond the Wagner speaks of has been manifested tangibly in the form of trade body Gamearea. “Our purpose is to promote the economic, political and public position of games companies in Frankfurt and the Rhein-Main area,” says Gamearea board member Max Bimboese. “The games industry is recognised to be one of the most technologically
Avni and Faruk Yerli, Crytek has steadily established itself as one of the world’s most progressive studios, producing the very first Far Cry game, as well as the award-winning Crysis series. Along the way, it has
diversified to become an engine supplier and expanded its development studios. Crytek general manager of games Nick Button-Brown (inset) explains how the studio is evolving to face the new gaming landscape: “We are making some great progress at the moment. The team is working really hard to finish Ryse: Son of Rome as a launch title on Xbox One, and I’m very excited about their progress. Warface has got major updates around the world; not least of which is its upcoming release in the Western territories on our social gaming platform Gface, complete with an Xbox 360 version coming in 2014. “The team in Nottingham –
Crytek UK – is making great progress on our reinvention of Homefront, and we have a number of projects we haven’t talked about yet. So basically our focus is on making these games the best and most immersive experiences possible.” Button-Brown adds that it recently rebranded its fourth
generation CryEngine, so as to be ready for the next wave of console hardware. “We have a lot of effort going into research at the moment, both centrally and through the games teams, and all of that work is really driving our engine forward. I think Ryse is going to set a benchmark for visuals for this next hardware generation, but we are also focusing on our tools and pipelines as this is the best way to help deal with the increased fidelity required by and for the next generation of games,” he says. Looking further ahead still,
Crytek is moving into the arena of self-publishing. “This a really interesting
step for us, where we can connect with our players more directly and focus on the games as a service,” says Button-Brown. All this growth means the studio is on the lookout for talented individuals who can come up with new ways of doing things as well as help it to deliver the impossible. “In terms of our games, in the end it all comes down to the people,” concludes Button- Brown. “We have really talented teams and individuals, and these are the people that keep pushing us forward and help us get even better. We certainly are ambitious for our games and are planning for each one on a long-term basis.”
www.crytek.com
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