Crytek ‘to become free-to-play studio’

Crytek will focus exclusively on free-to-play titles after it has finished work on its current in-development titles, the studio’s CEO has revealed.

Speaking to Videogamer.com, Cevat Yerli said that the company was in the process of transitioning away from packaged goods, and would begin creating titles similar to its online shooter Warface.

"As we were developing console games we knew, very clearly, that the future is online and free-to-play," said Yerli.

"Right now we are in the transitional phase of our company, transitioning from packaged goods games into an entirely free-to-play experience.

"What this entails is that our future, all the new games that we’re working on, as well new projects, new platforms and technologies, are designed around free-to-play and online, with the highest quality development."

Crytek has long been known for big-budget shooters, and Yerli was keen to point out that free-to-play doesn’t mean reducing quality.

"As is evident in Warface, our approach is to ensure the best quality, console game quality," he said.

"That implies budgets of between $10m to $30m – so no compromise there – but at the price-point of $0 entry. I think this is a new breed of games that has to happen to change the landscape, and be the most user-friendly business model."

But other companies, such as Activision and EA, have opted for aggressive monetization tactics such as paid DLC and premium services, and Yerli thinks this is too much.

"If you look at what kind of games are done in the packaged goods market, with DLCs and premium services and whatnot, it’s literally milking the customers to death," he said.

Warface is already live in Russia, and is being published by Trion Worlds.

No release date for the U.S. or Western Europe has been announce.