Spencer: Microsoft once considered Crytek for 1st party development

by Richard Mitchell on Jul 4th 2011 1:45PM

According to Microsoft's Phil Spencer, the company was once in talks with Crytek to turn the German developer into a first-party studio. Speaking to the UK Official Xbox Magazine, Spencer noted that Microsoft first started talking to Crytek around eight years ago and "started talking about what it'd mean for them to become first party."

At the time, Crytek was dead set on creating the motherboard-melting sci-fi shooter, Crysis. Unfortunately, the title would have clashed with Microsoft's then full slate of "militaristic future shooters" (which one, we wonder), so the deal never came to be.

Fast forward a few years and Crytek is developing Ryse -- an Xbox exclusive -- with Spencer saying that Crytek has "fallen in love with the Kinect" and that the project is "a perfect marriage" between the two companies. So remember, kids, true love does exist!

Source: CVG

Tags: crytek, kinect, microsoft, Phil-Spencer, ryse, xbox

Reader Comments (83)

A missed opportunity for Microsoft. They really need to beef up their 1st-party development, cause Sony's in the fast lane and isn't slowing down. Buy some more studios, throw some money around. Do something.

There's always the next gen, Microsoft. :)

@tendoboy1984
Agree, MS needs more first party. Sony have a bunch and most of the time they make awesome games.

@tendoboy1984

what next gen? 360 outselling PS3 for like 6 - 7 months now and sony are still far behind. 1st party exclusives on PS3 suck and dont even sell.

@Altair619

Come on now, I'm an Xbox owner as well, but with only Gears of War, Fable, and Halo, though all great series (though fable better kick it up a notch for 4), we're a bit behind Sony when it comes to exclusives especially since we've lost Mass Effect and Oblivion and by the looks of things Splinter Cell again.

@Mustang Fanboy

They are way ahead in downloadable exclusives, every summer there is a shitstorm of awesome titles for Xbox. The problem is full AAA retail games are too costly to develop for a single platform, it probably no longer makes business sense. Especially since they're going after a broader market now who doesn't give a shit about them.

@tendoboy1984

Microsoft likes to destroy developers they acquire so I'm glad they didn't snag Crytek. I miss FASA and Ensemble.

@Altair619

I'm saying next gen Microsoft can start fresh and come out the gate with a ton of new IPs and 1st-party studios.

@Anticrawl
So true. Ensemble and FASA were two of the best. AoE and Mechwarrior.
Need I say more.

@Anticrawl FASA did a good job destorying itself.

@Altair619 Wait, wait, wait did i read this right? Sony's 1st party games dont sell that much? Dude were you been for the last 4 years.... heard of games like God of War 3, Little Big Planet 2, Resistance 2, Uncharted 2 and the list goes on... all i hear from xbox in their 1st party section is just Halo but im guessing they have more.

@vor

How so? They developed all the netcode used by Bungie, the originated the Matchmaking system, developed the backbone for Xbox LIVE. Basically every standard in LIVE gaming can be credited to FASA. The only thing they did wrong was being owned by Microsoft. They were a victim of their own position, helping out the other studios with their well funded games while Shadowrun got next to no funding or advertisement.

@Qehb

they never "lost" Oblivion, Mass Effect, or the Splinter Cell series. i can understand what you mean by saying they lost Oblivion and Mass Effect, even though they were both on PC anyhow, but Splinter Cell? what does that mean? because the PS3 is getting a collection of last-gen ports devoid of the excellent multiplayer modes means the 360 has somehow "lost" Splinter Cell? to my knowledge, the newest outing can still only be played on the PC and the 360.

by saying they've somehow "lost" these franchises, i assume it's fair to say that the PS3 has "lost" Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Zone of the Enders?

@broken 4th wall

I think that is what he means, so the PS3 also lost Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto as well?

@Anticrawl

and Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, etc. etc.

@tendoboy1984

MS doesn't really seem to care about 1st party exclusives anymore, which is ironic considering it probably played a big role in them capturing the hardcore audience this gen.

Think of how different things are now from like 3 years ago. At the time Sony was the one losing major exclusives left and right (Final Fantasy, Splinter Cell, Grand Theft Auto) while MS was kicking ass with powerful exclusives like Mass Effect, Bioshock, Halo before it got played out, Gears, L4D, and quite a few more.

Now, half of MS's big exclusive franchises have moved multiplatform and they really haven't introduced any new big ones while Sony finally started seeing exclusive releases from some of the games that seemed like they'd never come out.

Although, I suppose part of that could be as much Sony's screwups as it was Microsoft's coups. Bioware, 2K, Bethesda, Valve etc didn't really have any loyalty to MS so much as they didn't find it worth it to develop on the PS3. Now that that has passed, MS really needed to outbid EA on Bioware (imagine what a coup that would have been) and keep a hold of Bungie.

Oh yeah, and telling Rare to start making AAA games again would help.

@Altair619

Numbers are meaningless to me as a gamer when PS3 friends are playing tons of good exclusive games while I as a 360 owner get a non-Bungie Halo 4, another over-hyped Fable game, Forza 4, and Gears of War 3. Two decent exclusives, one likely crap, the other a mystery, and you want to talk about numbers? Go ahead and do that all you want if you'd like to stay deluded. When the other guys are having all the fun it's meaningless.

@broken 4th wall

Splinter Cell 6 is going to be released on PS3.

@Qehb

i didn't even know they'd announced a Splinter Cell 6. hmmm. still, doesn't mean they've "lost" Splinter Cell. it was never Microsoft's to begin with!!!

@Anticrawl

The PS3 didn't loose GTA. There were GTA games on the original xbox.

If anything you can claim the PC lost GTA as it was the original platform.

I hope this game supports regular controls... looks really good.

They could use some first party right now, that's for sure.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

I agree with you man, they have all of 2 exclusives coming this year from first party... don't see how you got downvoted

@CleanUndies Obviously because he has divulged to blatant trolling in near every post.

@Robborboy

nah, trolling is Putting something down in a blatant manner without merit. Xbox really does not have many first party games coming out. that's facts

Facts = Merit.

No! Then they'd just end up like Rare and make bad games and avatar and Kinect junk. I miss the old Rare on N64.

@The Cole Train

But now instead they made a pretty "Meh" shooter disguised as a AAA release just because it had good graphics.

@The Cole Train

Note that nearly 90% of the original people from Rareware have moved before/after the MS switch, so they probably would be around as bad as they are now. I don't even consider them the same company, new name, new logo, new employees, new ceos, new location, the only similarity I can see is the the sound work.

@The Cole Train

another rant about Rare turning into rubbish. get over it already!!! maybe if you twats had bought Viva Pinata, Banjo, and Kameo, they'd still be making good games.

@The Cole Train
Me too! I wish it was possible that rare could make another goldeneye game on consoles! Stupid Activision!

@broken 4th wall

maybe if banjo, kameo, and viva pinata were GOOD i would have bought them.

True love is a lie.

@Uniform solidState Messenger

This true love is bound by an iron-clad contract... Romance is in the air... :)

ST

@Uniform solidState Messenger
I don't know. After watching that video, something in my pants started to......
(wait for it)
Ryse

Its still not 2 late.

@Jamaican1231 The way i see it this would be a cool way to help launch the next Xbox , Crytek developing C3, 343 developing Halo 4,5,6, Turn 10 developing the next Forza or PGR, Lion-head developing Fable ?, EPIC developing something in the Gears timeline or Chair developing Shadow complex 2, Remedy w/ Alan Wake 2,Rare developing a KI, keep developing kinect further along. Buy a few more developers for 1st party games & all the other third party games that are already on 360 & will continue to make games for the next Xbox. sound like MGS Division may be around for a very long time. hope they start working on it soon.

@kmcroc
I'd like to see Chair make a console Infinity Blade.

@Squawk

same. to be honest, i'm quite surprised they haven't already announced an Infinity Blade with Kinect/Move support. if they do release one, i hope it will be an XBLA & PSN title. even more than that, though, i think i'd much rather see a Shadow Complex 2.

@kmcroc
Or how about Microsoft don't base the launch of their new console around sequels that are/will be past their 4th instalment?

Honestly there are 5 Halo games already there is no need for a "new trilogy", it's as though they are trying to make it like the new Star Wars trilogy.

@DreadArrow cause as you know no matter what anyone may say or think sequels always have great sale #s & everyone buys them even after having complained . ex. COD ,MOH, FF,DoA, GT, KH, HITMAN, MGS, MM, NG,PP,RE,R&C,SONIC,SOULCALIBUR. Yes sequels are not the greatest way to go but they yield great returns .

@DreadArrow
your not bright , if any game should get the , theres too many games treatment , halo would not be one of them. Besides halo is already past the point of being a regular franchise that usually ends at a trilogy.The franchise is too gargantuan to just stop an even then the games have not slown in creativity they keep getting better and all of them are great why stop something if the games just get better?

I look forward to a kinect fps. I was to use my cat as a machine gun.

@The Only Girl

Lock & Load

http://www.m.deiru.com/images/catgun.gif

Pew Pew Pew Pew

And it can bloom in the battlefield.

Well Rare went down the pan and bungie went it's seperate ways, can't say its all rosey for Microsoft and first party stuff.

Sony not only has a good relationship with its own developers and had it not been for issues would still have team ninja as a second party developer, not only that, they have a good relationship with EA and all the Japanese developers :/

Microsoft needs to start giving those indie developers more credit and getting thr ball roling on thier first parties to make some astounding stuff. I though Halo Wars was a sign of good things to come, but since then, we've only had Gears 3, Forza 4, Halo Reach and Halo 4 news, not that I dislike those games, I just want something different that isn't Kinect orientated :(

@Spunky Monkey 190906

Team Ninja was never a second-party developer for Sony. They're owned by Tecmo.

@tendoboy1984

Sorry, meant Ninja Theory -_- Trust them to have similar names

@Spunky Monkey 190906

Thank god Bungie left Microsoft. Now maybe a decent Halo game will be made. I dunno what those guys think they are going to be able to accomplish without MS Game Studios and FASA holding their hand every step of the way for online development and net code.

Not surprising if Crytek becomes a primary developer for MS anyways, the way things are going.

Meh. Ps3 Is far superior . P0wah teh cell.

@Elzio De Auditore please shut up and crawl back to your cave with the rest of your troll kind!
I'll be glad when there are no fan boys because people like Ezio just degrade peoples opinions of the genreal console user base of the console that the fanboy is representing, the few sensible console users who don't act like idiots are forgotten when idiots like Ezio act up.

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Ryse

Spencer: Microsoft once considered Crytek for 1st party development

Reader Comments (83)

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:54PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:00PM Mustang Fanboy said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 3:29PM Altair619 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 3:44PM Qehb said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 4:33PM Raffi256 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:01PM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:28PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:35PM Squawk said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 6:02PM vor said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 6:19PM xZehroz said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 6:26PM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:25PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:48PM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:55PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 8:21PM Vcize said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 11:16PM Mechazawa Prime said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 3:10PM Qehb said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 4:25PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 9th 2011 8:54AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:55PM CleanUndies said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:57PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 10:32PM CleanUndies said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 11:02PM Robborboy said

Posted: Jul 5th 2011 12:16AM CleanUndies said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:57PM The Cole Train said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:41PM Koya said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 3:52PM Tiptup300 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:01PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 8:47PM Captain x Kirby said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 9:14PM KiraXD said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 1:59PM Uniform solidState Messenger said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 3:12PM Steel Toad said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:46PM Squawk said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:00PM Jamaican1231 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 4:26PM kmcroc said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:47PM Squawk said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:32PM broken 4th wall said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 7:41PM DreadArrow said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 9:44PM kmcroc said

Posted: Jul 9th 2011 3:05PM Milato No ME said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:00PM The Only Girl said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:55PM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:02PM TheShaper said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:15PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:26PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:29PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 5:15PM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:18PM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 2:42PM Elzio De Auditore said

Posted: Jul 4th 2011 4:08PM Sam Fisher said

Ryse Info

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