While THQ is now just about done, with many of its properties and studios bought up by other companies, one that was neglected during the auction was Vigil, the developer of the Darksiders gamers. Now though, Crytek has swooped in and saved the day, picking up most of the employees and making a new studio: Crytek USA Corp.
Set to be based in Austin, Texas, it will be led by co-founder at Vigil, David Adams. “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 (via Gamasutra). “The studio's launch represents Crytek's commitment to delivering diverse and high quality content to players everywhere.”
Not all the staff at Vigil were taken on, but a fair few were and combined with Austin developers looking for new work, the new studio was founded. Apparently this is something that Crytek has been working on for some time, but just hadn't got around to taking the step. Presumably picking up Vigil employees made the final process much easier.
“Crytek has always enjoyed a special relationship with gamers and business partners in North America, so establishing a permanent presence in the US was a natural step,” said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli.
KitGuru Says: Good to hear a lot of the guys that developed Darksiders and its sequel won't be out of work for long. Those games weren't hugely innovative, but they were very strong titles and good fun while they lasted.
I’m excited that crytek took over vigil. I’m expecting something big from them now. I liked Darksiders, not much Darksiders 2 but I still like them.
Hoping for the best perhaps with cryengine. ^^