Crytek
German game developer known for CryEngine and the Crysis series.
Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, it operates additional studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. Crytek is best known for developing the first entry of the Far Cry series, the Crysis series, and the open world nature of its games which showcase the company's CryEngine. Crytek's former studios included Crytek Black Sea in Sofia, Bulgaria, Crytek UK in Nottingham, and Crytek USA in Austin, Texas. As of August 2024, Crytek is the largest game developer in Germany with 405 employees.
Quick Facts
- Release year
- 2012
Lore & Background
Crytek was founded by the Turkish-German brothers Cevat, Avni and Faruk Yerli in September 1999 in Coburg, Germany. One of its first projects was a tech demo of a game called X-Isle: Dinosaur Island. Crytek's first major game project was Engalus, a first-person shooter with a cyberpunk theme and role-playing elements, which was first privately shown at E3 2000. Crytek was approached by Ubisoft to develop X-Isle into a full AAA game, which evolved into Far Cry, released in March 2004. In February 2004, German police raided Crytek offices on an ex-intern's claim of illegal software use, but no charges were pressed. That same month, Crytek and Electronic Arts announced a strategic partnership to develop the Crysis series. In December 2004, Crytek and ATI created a cinematic machinima to demonstrate the future of PC gaming. In January 2006, Crytek announced the development of Crysis. In April 2006, Crytek moved to new offices in Frankfurt. On 11 May 2006, Crytek announced that its satellite studio in Kyiv, Ukraine, had been upgraded to a full development studio. About a week later, Crytek announced a new studio in Budapest, Hungary. Crysis was released in November 2007. In September 2008, an expansion entitled Crysis Warhead was released. In October 2011, Crysis was released on PS3 and Xbox 360. On 14 July 2008, Crytek bought Black Sea Studios and renamed it to Crytek Black Sea. On 17 November 2008, Crytek opened an office in South Korea named Crytek, Ltd. On 3 February 2009, Crytek purchased Free Radical Design and renamed the company to Crytek UK. In March 2009, Crytek announced CryEngine 3. In October 2009, CryEngine 3 became available for game developers. In March 2010, CryEngine 3 was made compatible with stereoscopic 3D technology. Crytek released Crysis 2 in March 2011. At E3 2011, Crytek exhibited Ryse: Son of Rome. In September 2011, THQ and Crytek announced a partnership to develop Homefront 2. After THQ filed for bankruptcy, Crytek acquired the Homefront franchise in January 2013. In February 2012, Crytek announced a cloud based social gaming network called Gface. In April 2012, Crytek released the CryEngine 3.4 SDK. Crytek released Crysis 3 in February 2013 and Ryse: Son of Rome in November 2013. On 17 January 2013, Crytek officially opened an office in Istanbul, Turkey. On 28 January 2013, Crytek opened Crytek USA in Austin, Texas.
Reader's Guide
Crytek's history includes the development of the CryEngine series, used in games like Far Cry, Crysis, and Hunt: Showdown. The company expanded with studios in Kyiv, Budapest, Sofia, Seoul, Shanghai, Nottingham, and Austin, but later closed or sold many of them. Key milestones include the release of Crysis (2007), Crysis 2 (2011), Crysis 3 (2013), Ryse: Son of Rome (2013), and Hunt: Showdown (2019–20). The company also ventured into virtual reality with The Climb, The Climb 2, and Robinson: The Journey. In 2018, Cevat Yerli stepped down as CEO, and his brothers Avni and Faruk took over. As of August 2024, Crytek has 405 employees.
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