Crytek transitions to free-to-play

Crytek is moving out of the premium service space and will focus solely on free-to-play for their future games, according to the company's CEO.

Crytek is moving out of the premium service space and will focus solely on free-to-play for their future games, according to the company's CEO.

Speaking in an interview with VideoGamer.com, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli said he believes premium services and DLC are "milking customers to death" and that Crytek prefers the more user-friendly free-to-play payment model.

"As we were developing console games we knew, very clearly, that the future is online and free-to-play," Yerli said in the interview. "Right now we are in the transitional phase of our company, transitioning from packaged goods games into an entirely free-to-play experience."

Yerli said that all of Crytek's new games that are currently in development are being designed to be free-to-play and online "with the highest quality development". Once Crytek completes its current contracts with traditional boxed products, it will begin its move towards free-to-play games. These games will be supported by their new social gaming platform, GFACE.

"I think this is a new breed of games that has to happen to change the landscape, and the most user-friendly business model," he said.

Crytek's Kiev's multiplayer first-person shooter, Warface, will be the company's first foray into free-to-play games. The game is currently live in Russia and undergoing a closed beta in China. A US and European release date has not been confirmed.