Crytek reveals plans to open new studio and fill it with former Vigil employees.
Crytek announced yesterday that it is establishing a new studio in Austin, Texas. A major part of this announcement was that the new studio will be entirely made up of some core employees from Vigil, the developer of Darksiders. The employees in question were unemployed after the massive THQ auction where no outside publishers bid on the Austin-based studio.
“If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end,” THQ chief executive officer Brian Farrell wrote in a letter to employees after the sale of a good lot of THQ. “A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition… We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of nonincluded entities as they determine the next steps in their careers,” Farrell wrote.
So it was bad news for the team at Vigil, the team had just finished Darksiders II a few months prior to the massive layoffs, but now things are definitely starting to look up for them! Crytek has appointed Vigil cofounder David Adams to Crytek USA Corp. to chief executive officer. That’s quite a big swing from unemployed to CEO in a matter of days! Here’s what he had to say:
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the newest Crytek studio, which will boast some of the brightest development talent in the industry. The studio’s launch represents Crytek’s commitment to delivering diverse and high-quality content to players everywhere.”
“Crytek has always enjoyed a special relationship with gamers and business partners in North America, so establishing a permanent presence in the U.S. was a natural step,” Crytek chief executive officer Cevat Yerli said in a statement. “We are extremely excited about the work that we will be undertaking from our strategic new location in Austin, with David Adams and his team of 35 experienced developers. We believe our CryEngine technology will enable the team we assemble to create unparalleled new gaming experiences.”
Also just in case you were curious, Crytek will not be acquiring the Darksiders IP from THQ and therefore won’t be making another Darksiders game. So sorry to any of the fans out there:
“Crytek USA won’t work on a new Darksiders game. At this point in time it is too early to share any future plans,” -Jens Schafer Crytek representative.
You can see the official statement from Crytek here.
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