Crytek Releases Documentary On Its Early Days And What’s To Come

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I’m thrilled to share that the innovative gaming powerhouse, Crytek, was established in 1999 by three remarkable Turkish-German brothers – Cevat, Avni, and Faruk Yerli. Now, these visionaries have joined forces to present an exclusive limited-series documentary, offering fans a unique glimpse into the world of Crytek. The first installment is already available online! For the first time, we’ll get to witness never-before-seen footage, explore early concept art, and uncover the fascinating tales that shaped this remarkable studio’s journey.

The documentary begins by recounting the tale of the siblings receiving a black computer from their father, ostensibly for academic purposes. However, it was clear what their true aspirations were. Moreover, they had a strong sense of what they didn’t desire.

Avni stated, “We don’t want to follow the conventional path of a German game company, as they historically focused on creating complex strategy games and RPGs. Instead, our aim is to provide unique open-world or semi-open-world experiences where players can explore and interact with their surroundings freely. This approach was uncharted territory.

As a devoted admirer, I’d like to share some insights about this studio that originally set up shop in Coburg, Germany. Their ambitious goal was to redefine the realm of real-time 3D graphics within video games. Their groundbreaking tech demos, such as X-Isle, piqued the interest of Nvidia, culminating in a publishing agreement with Ubisoft for their inaugural significant game, Far Cry, which graced our screens in 2004.

To start off, the initial section largely delves into the evolution process of Crysis, with a focus on leveraging lessons gleaned from Far Cry and aiming to surpass those boundaries in terms of graphics technology during that era.

3D Artist Marcel Schaika commented on the approach taken in “Far Cry” and “Crysis”. In “Far Cry”, he noted that the art department constructed a natural environment as they envisioned it, essentially designing the jungle in their minds. In “Crysis”, they aimed to replicate nature as accurately as feasible. He believes this significantly impacted the games, even though the technology in some areas wasn’t remarkably different.

In constructing the environment, we aimed to replicate the way nature behaves with remarkable precision, from the way sunlight filters through leaves to how the ocean’s water refracts. Artists collaborated closely with engineers to develop a digital realm that mirrors our gathered references as closely as possible. I believe this shared approach significantly enhanced Crysis’s visual appeal.

The initial segment spans just 20 minutes, and it remains uncertain how many installments of this documentary will be made available.

Speaking of updates from Crytek, they recently had to let go of some team members this year, which unfortunately means that the development of a new Crysis game has been temporarily paused.

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2025-07-25 19:09