Crysis 2 editor dropping this summer

Crytek's Crysis 2 shipped in March for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC to much critical praise. It was the first series entry to arrive for consoles, but soon PC gamers looking to be more creative with the shooter will have access to a feature set their console counterparts will not.

In an open letter to the PC modding community titled "Be Free…Be Creative…Be the Developer," Crytek CEO and president Cevat Yerli said this summer the developer will release a full-featured editor tool for Crysis 2. The Crysis 2 editor lets gamers create items, maps, and custom content for use in the sci-fi shooter.

Then, in "early August" Crytek will let gamers go deeper and get their hands on the entire CryEngine 3, which powered Crysis 2. With the CryEngine software development kit, gamers will have access to every tool they need to create a game from the ground up, including C++ code access, content exporters, shader code, script and asset examples, and more.

Additionally, Crytek said it will support gamers looking to go the commercial route with what they create. The company said it will offer a "low cost licensing model" for gamers who wish to release their games digitally. Unfortunately, Yerli did not elaborate further on this point.

To see the CryEngine 3 engine in action, check out GameSpot's video review of Crysis 2 below.