14 DAY TRIAL // The leader of video game developer Crytek continues his crusade to persuade both Sony and Microsoft that home consoles need to become focused on the free-to-play model in order to survive past the coming generation.
Cevat Yerli, the founder of Crytek, tells Eurogamer that, “I hope for them that they do. If they don’t then it’s going to be a tough time for them. It’s quite a challenge for those companies logically because they rely so heavily on retail to sell the hardware and to sell the games where the margin for retail really is.”
He adds, “If they would forgo their entire retail business and go digital free-to-play, then they would not be selling any more Xboxes as well. There’s a chicken and egg thing there. And they have to make radical calls.”
Yerli also explains how Crytek is approaching the free-to-play model, by aiming to increase the quality level and by using the CryEngine 3 to create a complex experience.
He acknowledges that the pay-to-win philosophy is damaging the free-to-play titles. Yet the Crytek leader believes that his company has the resources to avoid issues that are affecting other games.
Crytek is working on a free-to-play shooter called Warface, which is created by the Kiev studio of the company.
The game uses a near future setting and will be launched on Western markets on the PC during December 2012 or early next year.
The game might also be launched on home consoles.
Presumably, Crytek is trying to persuade Sony and Microsoft to support free-to-play titles on their next generation of devices because it would like to see Warface launch on them.
Neither of the two hardware makers has revealed concrete plans for next-gen devices yet, but rumors have suggested that they will deliver an upgrade in computing power as well as integrated motion tracking.