14 DAY TRIAL // A number of sources inside the gaming industry are reporting that when Crytek had a range of financial issues in 2014, it only managed to stay afloat as a company because it entered into a very good deal with technology giant Amazon.
Kotaku is quoting four people who have information about the deal saying that the two companies arranged to trade the tech behind the CryEngine development platform for a sum ranging from 50 to 70 million dollars.
Crytek was in bad enough shape that it could not actively pay its developers, but the money allowed it to undergo a significant restructuring.
Earlier in the year, a co-founder of the studio stated that a big licensing deal was struck in 2014, but offered no information about it.
Faruk Yerli explained, "It was a huge one, probably the biggest one. I can’t say anything more in detail, but hopefully we’ll be able to announce it with the partner soon."
Amazon has not made any announcement about long-term plans to directly work in the field of game development, and it's unclear how the company plans to use the CryEngine tech.
Neither of the two involved entities has offered official comments on the rumors about the big transaction.
Crytek is currently focused on engine development and Warface
The newfound stability that Crytek is enjoying might be a sign that it is actively working with Amazon in order to deliver video games based on the engine it has created.
Sources have also suggested that the tech giant has only chosen CryEngine in order to strip it down and learn how to develop its proprietary concepts, which will be then used by partners for their projects.
Known video game developers like Clint Hocking, the creator of Far Cry 2, and Kim Swift, who led the creation of the original Portal, are working for Amazon.
Neither of them has announced a new video game project, and Double Helix is also linked to the same company in a long-term deal.
Amazon has also launched a gaming and streaming device, called the Fire TV, built around Android, but it failed to make an impact.
A new console with a proprietary engine and some cool launch games might be more attractive for gamers, although it might struggle to compete with the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
