It's better if it happens fast. At my first job we had a very similar case - a project built on investment capital, with an inability to deliver. The management decided to hold back 20-30% of salaries until completion of a milestone, which happened to keep the suffering go on for another six months. In the end a lot of people lost a lot of money and the project collapsed anyway.
So I'd say it's better to have it done quickly, instead of keeping people hanging on without any real chances.
It's better if it happens fast. At my first job we had a very similar case - a project built on investment capital, with an inability to deliver. The management decided to hold back 20-30% of salaries until completion of a milestone, which happened to keep the suffering go on for another six months. In the end a lot of people lost a lot of money and the project collapsed anyway.
So I'd say it's better to have it done quickly, instead of keeping people hanging on without any real chances.
Man that should be hard. My condolances mate. But you really have a great point there.
Better to decide what you should do, before suffering any more needlessly.
I really hope they can ryse above their current situation. har har. actually, speaking of which, I picked up ryse last night and god damn, its gorgeous. the environments are really stellar and the material/shader work and lighting really kick some ass. good showcase for the engine thats for sure.
They'd better put their WARFACE™ on if they want to turn things around, it's almost as if they're battling in the ARENA OF FATE™. HUNT:Horrors of the Gilded Age™.
While it's fun to bash on Crytek for the sake of it (have your own reasons, I currently have mine) I feel a lot of disrespect on this page's comments for the current or ex-employees of the many studios of Crytek that are into real shitty situations right now.
No no.... Well speaking for myself I really understand the pain of these people trying to work for no paycheck in sight, and I really do not intend to mock these people and their efforst ( hell I even know some of these people)
For everyone working at any Crytek studio I wish for either:
- Immediate solution to middle management/ business development mistakes and/or
- Immediate funding to relief the financial crisis that effect these hardworking talented people.
I pay my respects to these people who made the CryEngine a reality on a daily basis. Because I mean even right now I am working with CryEngine. How can I not respect those people when I can use such a technical wonder ???
Crysis 3 & Ryse Producer, Mike Read, Has Left Crytek Wish we could have done more on Crysis 3″
Things are definitely not looking good for Crytek. Homefronts producer has left the building, Tiego Sousa the man behind CRYENGINE has recently left Crytek and we just found out that Mike Read, producer of both Crysis 3 and Ryse has resigned from this German studio.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mike Read is not currently working on Crytek. Mike left Crytek this month; a month that has definitely harmed Crytek with all those departures weve been witnessing lately.
Mike Read has been with Crytek since April 2012 and was the producer of both Crysis 3 and Ryse.
Not only that, but Mike revealed that there were a lot of things that he and his team could have done with Crysis 3. When a fan told Mike that Crysis 3 still look great to this date, Mike replied and said:
Some amazing tech behind it for sure. Wish we could have done more on many fronts.
There is no doubt that Crysis 3 looks amazing but what was Mike referring to? We tried to get some additional information and when we asked him whether he could share some of his thoughts about Crysis 3, Mike replied and implied that there was still room for improvements when it came to the games gameplay mechanics.
Maybe one day soon, but not right now and definitely not in 140 characters or less. To leave it short .. Its gameplay related
Thats not a surprise as while Crysis 3 was better than its predecessor (Crysis 2) it never came close to the original Crysis. Not only that, but some of its gameplay mechanics (its nanosuit to be more precise) was dumbed down (at least compared to the original Nanosuit that was present in the first Crysis).
All in all, Hasit Zala, Tiego Sousa and Mike Read have left Crytek in just about a month. And that says a lot at least in our opinion about the state of Crytek.
I guess those responsible for updating the EaaS have left or are doing something different in the studio because it hasn't been updated in awhile. They were doing pretty well with the frequent updates and getting involved with the users. The Documentation is still updated on a daily basis though.
If you bought a license, it's yours. I doubt it will disappear, Gamebryo survived past the demise of NDL/Emergent Game Technologies. I actually shipped a Gamebryo game 3 years after Emergent shut down.
That's the rental plan, I was referring to actual licensing. I don't really believe the rumored 1 million dollar licensing fee but I'd believe a couple hundred grand; if you're paying out that much money you don't want a wishy washy agreement that can change at any moment.
I guess those responsible for updating the EaaS have left or are doing something different in the studio because it hasn't been updated in awhile. They were doing pretty well with the frequent updates and getting involved with the users. The Documentation is still updated on a daily basis though.
We only ever planned on doing monthly releases, the fact that we pumped out several hotfixes before 3.6.4 was out was because 3.6.3 was the first public release of the 3.6 branch and required numerous hotfixes out of the gate.
The lack of hotfixes since 3.6.4 has nothing to do with anything you may have read in the press, we just haven't had anything major to hotfix with 3.6.4 and we're getting close to 3.6.5 release now which should be out next week. I started putting together release notes today and there's over 150 entries from the changelogs. Some new features included Smoothing Groups on CryDesigner (https://twitter.com/adam_johnson_/status/490656106767998976), few new FG nodes, increased Steam support, lots of sample asset tweaks, etc. Been busy :poly122:
"We continue to focus on the development and publishing of our upcoming titles Homefront: The Revolution, Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, Arena of Fate, and Warface, as well as providing ongoing support for our CryEngine and its licensees.
That's the rental plan, I was referring to actual licensing. I don't really believe the rumored 1 million dollar licensing fee but I'd believe a couple hundred grand; if you're paying out that much money you don't want a wishy washy agreement that can change at any moment.
I can believe it easily - just a lighting solution (can't name any names) can cost a couple of hundred grand, let alone an engne.
In recent weeks, there have been repeated reports and rumors relating to financial problems at Crytek. Having already given an update to staff across all our studios, we are now in a position to share more details with members of the press and public.
Internally, we have acknowledged that the flow of information to employees has not been as good as it should have, however we hope you understand that communicating details of our plans publicly has not always been possible.
Like the games industry as a whole, Crytek has been in a transitional phase. Our evolution from a development studio to an Online-Publisher has required us to refocus our strategies. These challenges go along with an increased demand for capital which we have secured.
We can now concentrate on the long term strategic direction of Crytek and our core competencies. We kindly ask for your understanding, that we wont be communicating further details about our developments and progress.
Ultimately, with our organization, capitalization, portfolio and technologies we have now laid the foundations for securing Cryteks future not just in the short term, but also long term.
Through this period of speculation, we are thankful for the support and encouragement weve received from our community and our partners, and for the contribution all of our staff have made. We remain committed to doing what we are best known for and trying to develop the best interactive experiences and technology possible for everyone who loves gaming.
We are confident that we will be able to share more positive news on Cryteks progress soon.
So... they got money in exchange of.... what ? Interest ? IP Rights ? Shares ? Their souls ? ( Just kiddin)
Also " Online Publishing " ?? Wait they are still kinda conused it seems to me. To be able to entitled a Publisher first someone must come to you and ask you to pbulish the game THEY MAKE. You can't become a publisher by well... publishing your own stuff ??
Man this press release is like a YAK-38, it creates more questions then it answers. Just let me keep my CryEngine license and keep developing the engine, OK ?
I really hope Crytek manage to get back on track as its still one of the best looking engines out there. I am really happy for the peope working at crytek now they have new investment and I am glad they did not bend over to Microsoft and give them exclusive rights to there new IP's.
"Aside from selling the Homefront IP to Deep Silver, Crytek is also shifting the development of Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age from its Austin studio - primarily comprised of ex-Darksiders devs from the remnants of Vigil - to Frankfurt, Germany."
from Gamasutra:
"Crytek announced today that it is transferring development of Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age from Austin to Frankfurt and asking Crytek Austin employees who are not part of the North American CryEngine support team to re-apply for new positions at Crytek Frankfurt."
Here are the openings listed on their site:
3 programming positions
1 level design
4 marketing positions
Maybe they have more openings they aren't listing to give their Austin devs a chance but I doubt it. I've had the same "opportunity" before and it was basically just a feel good pr move, I had no preferred status vs local talent.
Maybe they have more openings they aren't listing to give their Austin devs a chance but I doubt it. I've had the same "opportunity" before and it was basically just a feel good pr move, I had no preferred status vs local talent.
Well to be honest, why would you re-apply to another one of their studios. As an employee you already had a bad experience and yet you still cant see that this is not a company you should take part off.
The old saying of "Getting kicked by the devil and still coming back for more"
I think moving on to either new studio or other industry would be the best option in this situation. Gladly is the Austin area, so hopefully all the devs can bounce back
I agree Secret, I'm just seeing people applauding Crytek for "doing the right thing" and it makes my stomach turn. Apologies though, I think I've worked with too many bitter ex Vigil developers.
I agree Secret, I'm just seeing people applauding Crytek for "doing the right thing" and it makes my stomach turn. Apologies though, I think I've worked with too many bitter ex Vigil developers.
Ah no problem. Those folks at Vigil have had some tough time, following the THQ closing and now this dilemma. Sad because the Darksider IP was quite promising.
Think is best they move on to better studios in the area.
Replies
So I'd say it's better to have it done quickly, instead of keeping people hanging on without any real chances.
Man that should be hard. My condolances mate. But you really have a great point there.
Better to decide what you should do, before suffering any more needlessly.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/crytek-s-lead-graphics-engineer-leaves-company-to-/1100-6421218/
I guess you could say that Crytek is "doomed".
Shame he didn't joined Epic, but id Software, where most engineers, which know what they were doing, have been leaving
I would be crying right now if that wasn't a brilliant pun and made me LOL
Sounds like a real....Crysis?
and start rolling again.
Well, I tried.
But on a more serious note, I do hope Crytek is able to get back up to speed quickly.
Sorry it had to come out.
For everyone working at any Crytek studio I wish for either:
- Immediate solution to middle management/ business development mistakes and/or
- Immediate funding to relief the financial crisis that effect these hardworking talented people.
I pay my respects to these people who made the CryEngine a reality on a daily basis. Because I mean even right now I am working with CryEngine. How can I not respect those people when I can use such a technical wonder ???
Things are definitely not looking good for Crytek. Homefronts producer has left the building, Tiego Sousa the man behind CRYENGINE has recently left Crytek and we just found out that Mike Read, producer of both Crysis 3 and Ryse has resigned from this German studio.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mike Read is not currently working on Crytek. Mike left Crytek this month; a month that has definitely harmed Crytek with all those departures weve been witnessing lately.
Mike Read has been with Crytek since April 2012 and was the producer of both Crysis 3 and Ryse.
Not only that, but Mike revealed that there were a lot of things that he and his team could have done with Crysis 3. When a fan told Mike that Crysis 3 still look great to this date, Mike replied and said:
All in all, Hasit Zala, Tiego Sousa and Mike Read have left Crytek in just about a month. And that says a lot at least in our opinion about the state of Crytek.
(c) DSO
I guess those responsible for updating the EaaS have left or are doing something different in the studio because it hasn't been updated in awhile. They were doing pretty well with the frequent updates and getting involved with the users. The Documentation is still updated on a daily basis though.
I hope everyone makes it out alright.
LIMITED LICENSE AGREEMENT for the use of the CryEngine as a Service for Games
http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?f=355&t=125134&p=1227280&hilit=monthly#p1227280
As for next update:
http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1227272#p1227272
The lack of hotfixes since 3.6.4 has nothing to do with anything you may have read in the press, we just haven't had anything major to hotfix with 3.6.4 and we're getting close to 3.6.5 release now which should be out next week. I started putting together release notes today and there's over 150 entries from the changelogs. Some new features included Smoothing Groups on CryDesigner (https://twitter.com/adam_johnson_/status/490656106767998976), few new FG nodes, increased Steam support, lots of sample asset tweaks, etc. Been busy :poly122:
We still have a lot of licensees to support who are doing huge projects and as I mentioned here (http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1225379#p1225379):
That of course includes EaaS subscribers
Cheers guys!
I can believe it easily - just a lighting solution (can't name any names) can cost a couple of hundred grand, let alone an engne.
Dude that solution should better be a God damn great solution if you are paying that much for it
@ Shinanigans
Sounding great. Especially will be looking forward to that " Increased Steam Support" thing. If it is what I think it is I'll be a happy panda
Internally, we have acknowledged that the flow of information to employees has not been as good as it should have, however we hope you understand that communicating details of our plans publicly has not always been possible.
Like the games industry as a whole, Crytek has been in a transitional phase. Our evolution from a development studio to an Online-Publisher has required us to refocus our strategies. These challenges go along with an increased demand for capital which we have secured.
We can now concentrate on the long term strategic direction of Crytek and our core competencies. We kindly ask for your understanding, that we wont be communicating further details about our developments and progress.
Ultimately, with our organization, capitalization, portfolio and technologies we have now laid the foundations for securing Cryteks future not just in the short term, but also long term.
Through this period of speculation, we are thankful for the support and encouragement weve received from our community and our partners, and for the contribution all of our staff have made. We remain committed to doing what we are best known for and trying to develop the best interactive experiences and technology possible for everyone who loves gaming.
We are confident that we will be able to share more positive news on Cryteks progress soon.
Oh it is on Kotaku OK. Found it.
So... they got money in exchange of.... what ? Interest ? IP Rights ? Shares ? Their souls ?
Also " Online Publishing " ?? Wait they are still kinda conused it seems to me. To be able to entitled a Publisher first someone must come to you and ask you to pbulish the game THEY MAKE. You can't become a publisher by well... publishing your own stuff ??
Man this press release is like a YAK-38, it creates more questions then it answers. Just let me keep my CryEngine license and keep developing the engine, OK ?
I really hope Crytek manage to get back on track as its still one of the best looking engines out there. I am really happy for the peope working at crytek now they have new investment and I am glad they did not bend over to Microsoft and give them exclusive rights to there new IP's.
Brave move Crytek well done!
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/221930/Crytek_speaks_about_its_financial_woes_manages_to_explain_little.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+(Gamasutra+News)
Here are the articles:
http://kotaku.com/deep-silver-buys-homefront-1613349084
http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/30/crytek-drops-u-k-studio-and-downsizes-its-team-in-austin/
Similar info can be found in the official Crytek site:
http://www.crytek.com/news/crytek-share-new-details-on-their-plans-for-the-future
It sounds like the UK studio has been sold rather than just killed off. At least that's some good news.
Shiiiiit.
http://kotaku.com/sources-crytek-usas-leadership-quit-last-week-1613456108
Takes a lot of guts to put up with this as an employee.
It really does. I feel bad for the employees.
"Crytek announced today that it is transferring development of Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age from Austin to Frankfurt and asking Crytek Austin employees who are not part of the North American CryEngine support team to re-apply for new positions at Crytek Frankfurt."
Here are the openings listed on their site:
3 programming positions
1 level design
4 marketing positions
Maybe they have more openings they aren't listing to give their Austin devs a chance but I doubt it. I've had the same "opportunity" before and it was basically just a feel good pr move, I had no preferred status vs local talent.
Well to be honest, why would you re-apply to another one of their studios. As an employee you already had a bad experience and yet you still cant see that this is not a company you should take part off.
The old saying of "Getting kicked by the devil and still coming back for more"
I think moving on to either new studio or other industry would be the best option in this situation. Gladly is the Austin area, so hopefully all the devs can bounce back
Ah no problem. Those folks at Vigil have had some tough time, following the THQ closing and now this dilemma. Sad because the Darksider IP was quite promising.
Think is best they move on to better studios in the area.