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Crysis 2 engine released to other developers

Crytek begins offering CryEngine 3 as basis for multiplatform game production; customer service stressed as a selling point.

From the original Far Cry to the upcoming Crysis 2, German developer Crytek has built a reputation for technologically impressive games. Now the studio hopes to turn that reputation into real money, as today it launched CryEngine 3 for use by other developers.

Even the best of engines is useless without talented developers.

Even the best of engines is useless without talented developers.

As the underlying technology for Crysis 2, the CryEngine 3 technology reflects Crytek's recent expansion into multiplatform development. The engine is designed to support development not only on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PCs, but Crytek claims its scalability will also make it a viable choice for the next generation of platforms.

When it comes to licensed engines, Crytek is chasing Epic Games and the Unreal Engine 3, the oft-licensed technology underneath the hood of a huge swatch of games, from the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum to the much-reviled Hour of Victory. However, Epic's support for Unreal licensees was castigated in an ongoing lawsuit from Too Human developer Silicon Knights. It's little surprise, then, that one of the features Crytek is centering its promotional push for the engine on isn't in the technology at all; it's in customer service.

"Of course, our international team of more than 20 dedicated support staff are available right now to help our licensees make the most of CryEngine 3; at their studio or at one of our support centers around the world," Crytek director of business development Carl Jones said in a statement heralding the launch of the engine.

Crytek's CryEngine technology has previously been used in creating the studio's own titles and was licensed out to NCsoft for use in the company's recently released massively multiplayer online role-playing game Aion. It's unlikely gamers will get to see the CryEngine 3 in action anytime soon; although Crysis 2 was originally revealed in June, no release window for the game has been confirmed.

For more on CryEngine 3, check out the teaser video below and GameSpot's impressions of the technology.

200 Comments

  • stealth2142

    Posted Dec 24, 2010 2:11 pm GMT

    this a bit of a stupid question but will this look better on the pc? than the ps3 or 360

  • kevson36

    Posted May 7, 2010 5:54 am GMT

    dont blame crytek for going multiplat, their first game didnt get them alot of money due to piracy.... most downloaded game ever

  • excell_deLux

    Posted Apr 21, 2010 5:59 am GMT

    console ruin pc games thats fact...

  • Mr_BillGates

    Posted Mar 8, 2010 5:53 pm GMT

    That only means better console ports for now on.

  • big-boss-91

    Posted Feb 23, 2010 1:38 pm GMT

    i love Crysis but my PC isn't up to the performance i wanted so i will switch to PS3 as the graphics will be obviously better than what my PC can do which would be 800x600 low graphics

  • Gabr131

    Posted Feb 10, 2010 2:48 am GMT

    i think we all want Crysis to be only for PC's but this is theyr choices , they wont listen to us. To bad...

  • farhad24

    Posted Feb 10, 2010 1:23 am GMT

    why why they are ruining pc gaming
    crysis was one of the few giant exclusives on pc !
    and now it is going multiplatform .as long as i remember every good pc exclusive that gone multiplatform just vanished soon .
    dont you remember fear or farcry?

  • gaptor

    Posted Jan 17, 2010 1:15 pm GMT

    I can't wait for Crysis 2 , and to see CryEngine 3. I really hope that Crytek won't do the same mistake as others game developers and port the game from consoles to PC. This is a GREAT MISTAKE. I wish Crysis 2 would be developed for PC independent.

  • icei

    Posted Jan 9, 2010 4:06 am GMT

    Well at least there will be better looking games with that out know
    Just wish source would do the same

  • TekNoKidChris

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 3:02 pm GMT

    Sammoth you are wrong, stop moaning like a girl.

    Anyway i really hope this is a proper "Crysis 2" not just a port from the xbox. I got the orginal the day it came out and I still play the story mode to this day and after a new graphics card I still believe it has the best graphics I have seen. Although I do wonder if this engine is DirectX11 compatible? since the last one was DX10 compat??

  • 666shan666

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 8:35 am GMT

    i dont like this whole multiplatform thing for crysis, man that was one amazing game exclusive to PC & they are making it multiplatform as well.

  • Shootn

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 7:04 pm GMT

    I wouldn't mind if the game gets ported to consoles but as long as it is pc port to consoles which im hoping and that is quite a bit of hope then it won't hurt my feelings any.

  • sammoth

    Posted Oct 25, 2009 1:49 pm GMT

    @s4dn3s5

    I never said it worked on the CryEngine2 Period. Learn2Read. I said it worked on the CryEngine weather its be 2004 or 2007 is irrelevant. Stop being so anal about things and learn to read what is posted. You are talking in double standards you said it doesn't use the CryEngine2 but uses the CryEngine of 2004. Duh so as I said it still uses the CryEngine. You are partialy right about the Year of the Engine but, still irrelevant to what was posted.

  • s4dn3s5

    Posted Oct 24, 2009 10:37 pm GMT

    @sammoth

    omg this is ridiculous

    The Far Cry engine name IS CryEngine. Aion IS powered by CryEngine.
    CryEngine 2 is Crysis engine. CryEngine 3 is Crysis 2 engine. Fact. Don't care about what wikipedia says, it's written by anybody.

  • sammoth

    Posted Oct 24, 2009 4:59 pm GMT

    @s4dn3s5

    Please stop you are wrong. Regardless Farcry used the Crytec Engine Witch is made by Crytec. Why do you feel you need to argue ? It's not the Farcry Game Engine its the CryENGINE. Please your really need to do your Research before you make comments back. Nobody said it used the Crytec 2 Engine your just making that up. What was said if your learn to read is it uses the Crytec Engine "Fact".

    Dunia Engine

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunia_Engine

    http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=49571

  • s4dn3s5

    Posted Oct 24, 2009 9:35 am GMT

    @sammoth:
    wikipedia is wrong, Aion runs on Crytek Engine, which is the Far Cry engine (2004). Crytek Engine 2 (2007) is the Crysis engine, and Aion is NOT powered by this one. This is fact, if wikipedia said something different, then wikipedia is wrong.

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 6:39 am GMT

    @Revan_911

    Haha! XD Did you even read the article? Don't you know what Crysis is? People, read the whole article before you comment. I've seen way too many dumb comments posted by people who just read the headline.

  • pureskull123

    Posted Oct 20, 2009 12:28 pm GMT

    lach0121 you are so right people are just dumb to want a 10 year life span in their console. after 5 years its just gonna kill their market because hardcore gamers will move on to pc feeling the console is way outdated. its kinda of gonna happen now with dx 11.

  • Lach0121

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:14 pm GMT

    lol 10 year lifespan... bad move.

    cause right about now is when alot of people are going to pc, because they feel that the consoles are now dated.

    moving in to dx11 now, and consoles still stuck with dx9.

    im not knocking dx9, its great, im just saying, that with this 10 year lifespan for these consoles, the pc might even be working on dx12 by the time they release new consoles.

    im not a fanboy, loyalties are outdated.
    i have owned ps3 and 360, sold ps3, cause it didnt have what i wanted for the price of it, and still doesnt.
    360 is so unreliable. im tired of sending it off to texas to get it fixed.

    sorry i dont see how either company can wait another 4-6 years before they announce/release another console.

    but about others getting the engine. great.
    restricted use of technology, along with restricted information, i think is wrong.
    so im glad other developers get the tools here, i mean they could even utilize it better.

  • J0nGalt

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 1:51 pm GMT

    F consoles. Long live the PC.

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:57 am GMT

    @ EYE0NE

    technically yes, this does max out both systems.

    entertainment wise, not necessarily.
    ps3's AAA upcoming titles are still gonna be made without the crytek engine.

    pc having a better version of the crytek engine doesnt mean they will get a better god of war, uncharted, heavy rain, gran turismo ect.
    thats what makes the ps3 better imo.
    not so sure about xbox cus they share games with pc.

  • EYE0NE

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:49 am GMT

    I think both consoles are pretty much tapped out at this point. This should be the best looking stuff either one will ever see.

  • bowlingotter

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:25 am GMT

    @HerbalVideogame: Ah yes, four buttons and a screw-in joystick of pure, white nostalgia

  • bowlingotter

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:21 am GMT

    @smghottie: They were already porting Crysis 2 to consoles. That has nothing to do with the engine being licensed to other developers, which is nothing but good news.

  • bowlingotter

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:19 am GMT

    @Revan_911: Replace "dumbed down" with "cutting edge" and replace "consoles" with "PC"

    And I guess you'd have your reasons to prefer that games NOT evolve and improve.

  • the_dude77

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 9:54 am GMT

    @ Revan_911 : the engine is ported from PC to consoles.....DUH.

  • Revan_911

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 1:49 am GMT

    No thanks. I don't want some dumbed down engine ported from consoles.

    Pass

  • the_dude77

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 1:45 am GMT

    That really is beautifull. Too bad I am not able to run games at such high details on my PC. Good thing they want to share it because this has soooo many possibilites. It looks sick.
    @ smghottie : Dude....If they isolated people with crappy PC's that's because Crysis' graphics were artwork. I didn't run it at max nor medium but it was f***ing beautifull. It was a risk they took.

  • smghottie

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:24 pm GMT

    Who cares? This is a representation of a PC developer needing to port their titles to the consoles to stay afloat. Crytek isolated so many gamers because of the hardware demands that neither the original Crysis or the expansion, Warhead, received much commercial success at all.

    I'm glad we're going to see what other developers can do with this engine, but it makes me wonder if Crytek will take another risk like Far Cry or Crysis (when they were released) and really push the boundaries of the visual experience.

  • PandaBear86

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 3:09 pm GMT

    CryEngine > Unreal Engine > id Tech > Source Engine > anything else

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 10:52 am GMT

    This is a classic example of a developer providing the tools with which to truly unlock a consoles potential. All we need now, is for game Dev's to follow suit.

  • bennae66

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 9:17 am GMT

    id like to see how it stacks up against naughty dogs uncharted engine. the next gen of unreal engine could have some real competition. and gamers, competition is a good thing

  • bennae66

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 9:16 am GMT

    good on you crytek. keen to see some of 'your' games running on ps3 and 360. id love to see what you can squeeze out of them

  • blakeney

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:28 am GMT

    @ Jason_Morris

    Spot on.

  • -Unreal-

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 5:58 am GMT

    Who the hell needs 16xQAA and AF when you're playing at 1920x1080 resolution. And if you're talking about a PC game, the resolution you set it to is what is rendered. It's not some upscaled image. No workarounds with PC games, you're going to get the sharpest images. This is why the best looking new PC games take so much power to run them. They would never run the way they do with top end PC hardware on a console.

    And Crysis still is an amazing looking game. The word "was" shouldn't be used to describe how good the game looks.

  • daveg1

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 3:33 am GMT

    i dont expect to see any devs use this with the current crop of consoles..

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 2:38 am GMT

    this is very good news considering the original crysis was short and boring, other devs will do more justice to the great engine.

    if SCE get their hands on this then they can max out the ps3 and we wont have to worry about average multiplatform games.

    this basically means more AAA exclusives mwuhuhahahaha.

  • Excedra

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 8:57 pm GMT

    If valve gets this engine....they will own forever....
    imagine crysis counterstrike or l4d!!!!!!!!

  • killerfox39967

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 7:50 pm GMT

    PLEASE replace the unreal engine. It is sort of buggy and really shouldnt be the main industry engine. Just make it efficient so it can put those amazing pc graphics on my 360.

  • JordanizPro

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 6:57 pm GMT

    im just happy console gamers get the engine also, and its not some pc only engine =)

  • Jason_Morris

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 6:30 pm GMT

    The Unreal engine is getting a bit long in the tooth - although Batman-AA does look good, granted. I really hope Crytek pull their finger out and give this the big commercial push it deserves. Their talent is top-drawer - this really deserves to be a big success.

  • DebeliRok

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 5:17 pm GMT

    "
    "Varny Posted Oct 16, 2009 11:38 pm GMT My 3870 can max out Crysis with 30FPS so it doesn't require a beefy PC anymore."

    no - no it can't. - i bet you cant run it with very high shaders with that card.

    Max is 16QAA on Very high.

    On my rig i can play it with 16XAA, but only just! heavy fire fights, i put it down to 4X.

    And thats with a GTX 295! even my physx card can run crysis better then a 3870 - (8800GTX)
    "

    @ TheJamin:
    Please, lets be reasonable. I'm sure there isn't a finite way to absolutely max out a game, especially with 4K screens and 3d around, which would require 120fps from two different angles at 4096x2048p... :O

    Lets face it, 16X AA is an absolutely lavish, especially if you are playing at 1080p or higher resolution... Any decent £500 PC should be able to play the game comfortably at 720p-1080p at high settings. The PC technology to run graphics at a Crysis level really has become mainstream in the last few years.

  • blakeney

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 5:04 pm GMT

    i think a remake of "kingpin" would be great using this engine!

  • X3Warrior

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 4:01 pm GMT

    That video looks so cool, wonder if it really is a level crytek created for the engine. I wonder if they would give it out as a free download. I hope the engine allows for destructible terrain and objects, unlike CryEngine 2.

  • TheJamin

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 3:38 am GMT

    in response to:

    "Varny Posted Oct 16, 2009 11:38 pm GMT My 3870 can max out Crysis with 30FPS so it doesn't require a beefy PC anymore."

    no - no it can't. - i bet you cant run it with very high shaders with that card.

    Max is 16QAA on Very high.

    On my rig i can play it with 16XAA, but only just! heavy fire fights, i put it down to 4X.

    And thats with a GTX 295! even my physx card can run crysis better then a 3870 - (8800GTX)

  • pureskull123

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 8:47 pm GMT

    Im just hoping that this cryengine 3 is able to keep open world, real physics, intense graphics and all of that for the pc version, as i would hate it to see it dumbed down because of console, plus crysis had around 1.3m sales for pc on piracy times, you can tell its have enough market in the PC industry to make it VERY DECENT.

  • rickster34

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 7:21 pm GMT

    Better games will come out soon with this

  • HerbalVideogame

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 7:09 pm GMT

    @ bowlingotter Ah, ok sweet. By the way, I love the Gravis Gamepad.

  • Mr_Tweedy

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 6:53 pm GMT

    I don't think we'll ever know what the Wii might have been able to do. I can only think of two games that even tried to have "next gen" graphics: The Conduit and Dead Space. I'm sad because I thought the Wii had a lot of potential, and I'll always wonder what might have been had it fulfilled it original promise.

    RIP, Wii.

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