Homefront Development Snatched From Crytek, Given to New Studio - Update

[IanDavis]

Homefront Development Snatched From Crytek, Given to New Studio - Update

Tired of financial difficulties, Deep Silver finds a new home for its game.

Update: According to Kotaku, Crytek has experienced an [a href=http://kotaku.com/sources-crytek-usas-leadership-quit-last-week-1613456108]exodus of its senior staff[/a] over the past week. Also, its American studio has been downsized, and its upcoming F2P co-op shooter Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age has been moved to its Frankfurt, Germany office.

Meanwhile, composer Graeme Norgate, along with many other ex-Crytek UK employees, [a href=https://twitter.com/Norgans/statuses/494528381409849345]has landed on his feet[/a] at the new studio. As he puts it, "Good bye Crytanic, hello Deep Silver Dambuster Studios!"

Original Story: It's been a tough time for developer Crytek. The story involves a high-ranking producer [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136330-Crysis-3-Ryse-Producer-Leaves-Crytek]leaves[/a], [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135724-Report-Crytek-Staffers-Havent-Been-Properly-Paid-Since-April]skipped paychecks[/a], and [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135629-Crytek-Reports-of-Looming-Bankruptcy-Are-False]bankruptcy rumors[/a]. Now, developer Deep Silver, apparently tired of waiting for Crytek to get their act together, [a hfref=http://www.joystiq.com/2014/07/30/homefront-acquired-by-deep-silver-production-of-sequel-to-conti/]has acquired all the rights and assets[/a] for the in-development Homefront: The Revolution, giving it instead to its newly-formed Dambuster Studio.

"We strongly believe in the potential of Homefront: The Revolution," said Deep Silver CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, "and trust in the new team to continue the path they have been walking in the last years."

Woe seems to follow Homefront wherever it goes. The first game was originally developed by the ex-modder team Kaos Studios and published by THQ. After both entities went up in flames, the rights were purchased by Crytek for a paltry $500,000. Even better, the Homefront sequel was being handled by Crytek UK, which was composed of rescue-hires when Haze developer Free Radical went under in 2009. Already in dire financial straits, this cannot be good news for the ailing developer.

At this point, the history of this game seems to be a secession of shipwrecks, with each new rescue vessel sinking, one after another. Hopefully Dambuster doesn't follow suit.

Source: [a href=http://www.joystiq.com/2014/07/30/homefront-acquired-by-deep-silver-production-of-sequel-to-conti/]Joystiq[/a]

Permalink

 

[Andy Shandy]

I have some exclusive footage straight from Crytek's offices.

In other news, Deep Silver are now doomed, thanks to the Homefront Curse. What is it that companies see in this IP? I played the original, it was a neat concept but certainly nothing revolutionary (pardon the pun)

 

[josemlopes]

Graeme Norgate (composer of Free Radical/Crytek UK) posted this on his twitter:

"Good bye Crytanic, hello Deep Silver Dambuster Studios !"

I guess they knew it all along that it was doomed.

 

[Zhukov]

Does the prestigious, beloved and storied brand name that is Homefront really justify this amount of fuss and bother?

Are they really looking at this mess and saying, "Yup, we got a real sleeper hit on our hand here lads"?

 

[josemlopes]

Does the prestigious, beloved and storied brand name that is Homefront really justify this amount of fuss and bother?

Are they really looking at this mess and saying, "Yup, we got a real sleeper hit on our hand here lads"?

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

Also this one is looking rather interesting, I guess it will be like what Sleeping Dogs ended up being for True Crime (that Square Enix got when it was almost finished), a good sequel that took out the shit and brought a lot of new good stuff.

 

[FogHornG36]

In other news, Deep Silver are now doomed, thanks to the Homefront Curse. What is it that companies see in this IP? I played the original, it was a neat concept but certainly nothing revolutionary (pardon the pun)

It was only concept, two hour campaign, and a rather bland multiplayer.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

Also this one is looking rather interesting, I guess it will be like what Sleeping Dogs ended up being for True Crime (that Square Enix got when it was almost finished), a good sequel that took out the shit and brought a lot of new good stuff.

Either that or we have a new Duke Nuke'em Forever on our hands. A game with plenty of potential that will turn out mediocre due to constant developer changes and lack of coherent artistic and technical focus.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

man, Crytek really should have managed itself better. This really reeks of a company not spending its money intelligently and thus problems are multiplying manifold. In fact most studios' problems can just be summarized with them being incompetent with money. Seriously, get a proper budgeting team into these companies lest gaming start to shrink

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Just thought I'd point this out:

Once the Homefront acquisition is complete, the members of the Homefront: The Revolution development team will ?transfer their talents? to Dambuster Studios and continue working on the game, Crytek announced today.

While the game is switching publishers from CryTeck to Deep Silver, the same devs are working on it. We do not have another Duke Nukem Forever on our hands. Well, at least not yet.

 

[Falterfire]

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

Also this one is looking rather interesting, I guess it will be like what Sleeping Dogs ended up being for True Crime (that Square Enix got when it was almost finished), a good sequel that took out the shit and brought a lot of new good stuff.

The difference is that Metro 2033 actually had fans. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say anything more positive about Homefront than "It was alright I suppose"

 

[fix-the-spade]

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

With respect to the Metro series, Metro 2033 was far better received that Homefront as well as being a far, far better game.

Homefront's multiplayer was actually pretty interesting, with the scoring system almost completely weighted towards objectives and team actions over kills. Unfortunately that same aspect failed to woo the Call of Duty brigade in any meaningful way and the tiny maps didn't do much for everyone else either.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

No Homefront, no Crytek.
No Homefront, no Crytek!

Somebody channel their best Bob Marley impersonation and get on that.

 

[PunkRex]

A moment, for Free Radical/Crytek UK, if only there was a way to go back in TIME and find a good shooter for them to make...

 

[josemlopes]

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

Also this one is looking rather interesting, I guess it will be like what Sleeping Dogs ended up being for True Crime (that Square Enix got when it was almost finished), a good sequel that took out the shit and brought a lot of new good stuff.

The difference is that Metro 2033 actually had fans. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say anything more positive about Homefront than "It was alright I suppose"

Its Deep Silver, they did the same with Metro and it worked fine.

With respect to the Metro series, Metro 2033 was far better received that Homefront as well as being a far, far better game.

Homefront's multiplayer was actually pretty interesting, with the scoring system almost completely weighted towards objectives and team actions over kills. Unfortunately that same aspect failed to woo the Call of Duty brigade in any meaningful way and the tiny maps didn't do much for everyone else either.

But to be honest they are also games being made by different devs and with very different promises from the original. The comparison with what Sleeping Dogs was to True Crime (it was at first called True Crime: Hong Kong or something close) is a lot more precise.

All we have to hope is that the final product is good and far away from what the first Homefront was.

 

[matrix3509]

I'm more sorry for Crytek USA (aka formerly Vigil Games). All the staff are being laid off. I mean Holy Fuck. Those guys absolutely cannot catch a break.

 

[Rozalia1]

Well I suppose when all you know is how to create shrubbery such things are inevitable. Anything that splits off from them will be tainted and fail themselves so the rats leaving the sinking ship shouldn't act so smug.

Anyway...Crytanic? Is that how you refer to Crytek? Or is calling Crytek satanic-ish?