When the dust settled on last week’s massive auction of THQ’s studios and properties, Vigil Games and its Darksiders franchise were left behind. However, Crytek has since swept in and saved the jobs of at least 36 employees from the doomed studio, including Co-Owner and General Manager David Adams, as the developer opens a new studio in Austin, Texas.
Adams will become the CEO of Crytek’s first North American office and is “thrilled” to be heading up a brand new studio for the creator of the Crysis series.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the newest Crytek studio, which will boast some of the brightest development talent in the industry,” he said in the announcement. “The studio’s launch represents Crytek’s commitment to delivering diverse and high quality content to players everywhere.”
Crytek already has studios in Germany, the Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, the UK, China, and Turkey. Company CEO Cevat Yerli stated that given the developer’s relationship with gamers and its business partners in the region, adding a studio in North America was “a natural step.”
“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,” said Yerli. “We believe our CryENGINE technology will enable the team we assemble to create unparalleled new gaming experiences.”
It is unknown whether this new studio will continue Vigil’s work on the studio’s last project, codenamed Crawler, or if Crytek will seek to acquire the rights to the Darksiders franchise. During last week’s auction, Crytek purchased the Homefront series for $544, 218. The developer had been working on Homefront 2 prior to THQ’s bankruptcy and will continue to do so with the acquisition.
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