Crytek, the developer behind Crysis who faced layoffs and other financial hardships last year, was apparently saved by Amazon, sources at Kotaku report.
Amazon has agreed to a $50-70 million-dollar licensing deal for Crytek's CryEngine technology, which was reportedly substantial enough to save the company. Crytek co-founder Faruk Yerli hinted at the parternship in mid-March, referring to the deal as "a huge one, probably the biggest one."
Beyond Crytek's own titles, CryEngine 3 has seen fair adoption in the industry as the engine powering Turtle Rock's Evolve, Bethesda's upcoming BattleCry, and the crowdfunded Star Citizen. That gorgeous trailer posted earlier today for an imagined remake of BioShock was also done in CryEngine 3.
Amazon seems primed for a huge game announcement with the company having already brought together Killer Instinct's Double Helix, Halo's Erik Nylund, and Portal's Kim Swift. Where CryEngine 3 fits within this string of acquisitions and hirings is unclear, but we imagine that it could be a new console or Amazon becoming closer to Valve and its Steam platform (or Electronic Arts and its Origin platform) as both a retailer and a developer.
