Crytek discussed going MS first-party

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 4 July, 2011

Has "fallen in love" with Kinect.

Microsoft and Crytek discussed the possibility of the Crysis 2 developer going first-party just after the launch of Far Cry.

At the time, Crytek was about to create Crysis for PC. Microsoft corporate vice-president Phil Spencer told OXM it was decided the Xbox 360 manufacturer had enough shooters in a similar genre, so let the idea slide.

"The first time we met with [Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli] and the team was around seven or eight years ago, and we started talking about what it'd mean for them to become first-party," Spencer said.

"And it was a process of what do you guys want to do, what's unique for us, and they were just going to do Crysis, and they'd just come out of Far Cry, and we said we've probably got enough military future shooters, so go do that."

Crytek is currently hard at work on Xbox 360 exclusive, Kinect-fuelled first-person brawler Ryse.

"Then they came up with this idea around Ryse, and now they've really fallen in love with Kinect, and it's a perfect marriage for us," Spencer continued.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (43) Latest comment 11 months ago

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  • Bradach #1 11 months ago

    nmv, i misread. Ryse looks interesting though
    Edited by Bradach at 04/07/11 @ 15:17

  • fabiosooner #2 11 months ago

    #1
    It IS a thing of the past: Crytek discussed it years ago :) Far Cry was launched in 2004.
    That is, they are NOT going first-party right now, as far as we know.

    And good for them that discussions didn't go far: just look at Microsoft's background when it comes to first party studios. They either get trapped doing the same thing (Rare), flee as soon as possible (Bungie) or end up closed.

  • Kano-11 #3 11 months ago

    Kinect is shit. Stick to making proper games like Crysis 1.

  • Softie2k #4 11 months ago

    Would be ironic that the Free Radical team would still end up at Microsoft.

  • RodHull #5 11 months ago

    Fallen in love with Kinect or the Kinect-branded pen that you were using to sign the cheques?

  • Geordiemp #6 11 months ago

    Another day, another Kinect plug.

    You can meantion it every day MS, still not buying one.

  • Monkeyspoon #7 11 months ago

    So far everything on Kinect has been really lame. I can't see that changing anytime soon.

  • Machetazo #8 11 months ago

    ...and then, Crytek awoke with a start and realised it was just a nightmare that they were being headhunted by Microsoft, and returned to making Games for All.

  • oceanmotion #9 11 months ago

    Any bloody excuse to plug Kinect.

  • paketep #10 11 months ago

    Not surprising coming from Crybaby Yerli.

    Good riddance, have fun with your Kinect.

  • Retro_ #11 11 months ago

    Give me a wad of cash and I'll say I've fallen in love with Kinect too.

  • VibratingDonkey #12 11 months ago

    I can't see a first person fighting Kinect game being anything other than mildly terrible at best. Slow, unresponsive, limited, awkward, on rails awfulness/workout session.

    This reminds me, I forgot to cancel my pre-order.

  • shadowdogg #13 11 months ago

    Lame

  • HyperTails #14 11 months ago

    I'm glad that Crytek didn't sell themselves to Microsoft. As fabiosooner said, Microsoft don't have a great track record of 1st party studios, and they'd of probably been stuck making Crysis games each year. And have the odd spin-off farmed out to another studio.

    Crytek (well, Cervat Yerli to be precise) do have a touch of arrogance about themselves with certain comments, but they are talented and their talents are better not having Microsoft do to them what they've done to Bungie/Rare/Lionhead.

  • cloud_ix #15 11 months ago

    I guess you can't help who you fall in love with...

  • TechnicPuppet #16 11 months ago

    If MS could buy one games company to even up the difference between them and Sony who would it be? Rockstar maybe?

  • beastmaster #17 11 months ago

    "Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have fallen in looove with?"

  • Darren #18 11 months ago

    Call me cynical but I wonder how much Microsoft paid Crytek to declare their undying love for Kinect? ;)

    Having tried it myself, I can see the potential but as it currently stands it is flawed and held back somewhat by the dated technology it has access to. Remember how Kinect was supposed to have its own processing chip to allow for better accuracy and less lag before Microsoft decided to cut costs and cripple the device in the process?

    Kinect isn't for me but I'd like to see an improved version built into the next Xbox without the lag and with a higher scanning resolution.

  • Reckless99 #19 11 months ago

    Money talks bullshit walks.

  • RedSparrows #20 11 months ago

    So Bungie working with MS on Halo for over ten years and not severing ties with them is running asap, is it?

    By all means make your point, but please talk sense.

  • Liquidoodle #21 11 months ago

    So Crytek don't tell us they love Kinect... a Microsoft corporate vice-president tells us instead... hmmmm they probably don't love Kinect me thinks, I doubt he even knows who Crytek are :p

  • The-Bodybuilder #22 11 months ago

    THIS. IS. SPA.......Ryse?

  • Sid-Nice #23 11 months ago

    Would be ironic that the Free Radical team would still end up at Microsoft.

    The team who worked on Goldeneye are no longer with the company.

  • RevanNL #24 11 months ago

    Let's see how much MS loves Kinect when Gears 3 is going to sell more units then all the 'core' Kinect games combined.

  • Subdominator #25 11 months ago

    I think they are pretty comfortable as 2nd party. So far we have Ryse as an exclusive 360 title and TimeSplitters as a supposed excklusive launch titel for the next Xbox. And of course Crysis 3 for EA (but that won't start until after the release of Ryse, as that is now moved from Crytek Black Sea to Crytek Frankfurt) on all platforms.

  • mr2ange #26 11 months ago

    Fucking GOD DAMN BATTLE FUCK OFF TRAILER!!!

    LEAVE IT ALRIGHT!!! I'm not buying it anymore!

  • layleeloo #27 11 months ago

    @RevanNL. Gears 3 - oh that bore fest of a space marine game that is EXACTLY the same as the last two. Yeh - that gets my juices flowing for sure. An yes, I am an xbox gamer. It saddens me that people keep buying that re hashed bullshit over and over, then people complain we have no originality and when we do or something tries to be new then the so called 'core' simply go on about wanting more re hashed over boring bullshit we've played 50 million times before. This is what is wrong with gaming today - sorry, "gamers" today.

    Games like Joyride or Kinect Advertures may be dull, but for a gamer of over 25 years I'd rather try that than go and buy Gears 3, COD 20K or any other game when you know exactly what you're getting cos you've done the re hashed bullshit 20 times already which I am sick to death of by now. You can hate Kinect, you can hate Move or anything else of a similar ilk, but at least they're trying something different to entertain us, when entertainment is the last thing all these GoW etc re hashes are - sleep inducing is more accurate terminology for these endless, pointless, going nowhere sequels.

  • RevanNL #28 11 months ago

    Gears 2 was awesome, not boring (well, I didn't think it was boring). Joyride and Kinect Adventures aren't dull, just bad.

  • technicianTed #29 11 months ago

    Is sony's 'move' dead now then?

    All we get is kinect this and kinect that these days, there's hardly anything about that rubbish other motion controller.
    They are all a poor excuse for a proper pad.

  • ChocNut #30 11 months ago

    Agree with Darren - they went cheapo on kinect's tech, robbing developers of computing power for the actual game.

    Then proceeded to charge a lot for it anyway - do they think we're that dumb?

    It's cheaper now because it's failing. If you're going to gamble on something like this there's no point trying to quietly swap out the goodies at the last minute.

    If there are less casuals I'm happier anyway. Say what you want about additional revenue but casuals bring a whole shittonne of rubbish to the party and don't clean up when they've left.

  • Xardan #31 11 months ago

    LoL you really know how to choose those sub-headlines dont you? Great so it gets attention in the comments and things, but seriously why?

    Why do i bother reading comments anyway just a bunch of haters and fanboys. This site and its community has really degraded.

  • Syrette #32 11 months ago

    @ChocNut

    Oh please, it's hardly failing. Like RedSparrowes said, "by all means make your point, but please talk sense."

  • TFM_Excalibur #33 11 months ago

    Stick to making games that are actually worth playing.

  • Lord_Gremlin #34 11 months ago

    Well, consider them dead.

  • Gambit1977 #35 11 months ago

    Nice quotes regarding their 'love' of Kinect...or should I say lack of quotes! Christ these PR types just dribble on.

  • Geowolf #36 11 months ago

    Aw crap, I was hoping I got to play as the dog!

  • Rack #37 11 months ago

    I guess that's why they say "Love is blind".

  • Phishfood #38 11 months ago

    These videos make it looks so much better than its going to be... sigh

    ok so I'm being pessimistic but all these Kinect demos that make games look so much fun easy to control always fall short. You can't blame me with a track record like that.

  • tankboi #39 11 months ago

    "Then they came up with this idea around Ryse, and now they've really fallen in love with (the money we paid them) Kinect, and it's a perfect marriage for us," Spencer continued.

    Honestly, Crytek, just try and impress me with Kinect. Dare you.

  • obidanshinobi #40 11 months ago

    Quoting Geldof - " Just give us the fockin money !"

  • man.the.king #41 11 months ago

    Maybe this news is a thing of the past, but I do think MS needs to get some exclusives of their own that aren't timed or moneyhatted, and if Crytek goes first-party MS, I think it's a good thing.

    Both platform-holders need to offer differentiation, and at present, as both consoles appear to be at technical parity as far as multiplats go, first-party games is as good a method of differentiating themselves from the competition as any.

  • darc #42 11 months ago

    I've seen that Battlefield 3 video so many times, I could have played the game through in the same number of hours. Therefore, I won't.

  • darc #43 11 months ago

    "All we get is kinect this and kinect that these days, there's hardly anything about that rubbish other motion controller."

    As bad as Kinect is, Move is worse. From a gaming perspective, Kinect is 90% talk at this point anyway. But it's got the fitness scene going for it, which is something at least. Move is just a pile of tech demos and tack-on DLC, none of which feel quite right, and all of which require that I have a blinding glowing ball in my peripheral vision. I'm sure there are countless jokes that can be made of this.

    Bottom line, I occasionally find myself using Kinect, though not to play games, really. The Move... I honestly have no idea why it's in the house.