Crytek opens new US studio, will be 'new start' for Vigil

The newly-formed Crytek USA promises to take some of the talent lost at Vigil, offering "a new start" for members of that team.

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"Maybe you can imagine what it feels like when you read the list of who bought what only to discover your name is not on the list. Why? Did we do something wrong? Were we not good enough? Were we not worth 'anything?' Imagine that," Vigil's Ben Cureton posted on NeoGAF after finding out that the Darksiders studio would not be picked up at THQ's liquidation auction.

However, the newly-formed Crytek USA promises to take some of that talent, offering "a new start" for members of that team.

Crytek USA will be located in Austin, Texas, and will be the first US development studio for the company best known for Crysis. David Adams, former co-owner of Vigil, will head the team. A Crytek rep told Gamasutra that Crytek USA is "like a new start for [the team at Vigil]," and that it will be home to a team of "35 experienced developers."

Vigil had already started work on its next project, codenamed "Crawler," when parent company THQ collapsed. According to THQ's Jason Rubin, the prototype "dropped jaws."

Although Crytek is not formally absorbing Vigil or the Darksiders brand, it did pick up another asset from the THQ sale: rights to the Homefront franchise. The company is currently working on Homefront 2.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 28, 2013 2:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Crytek opens new US studio, will be 'new start' for Vigil.

    The newly-formed Crytek USA promises to take some of the talent lost at Vigil, offering "a new start" for members of that team.

    • reply
      January 28, 2013 2:06 PM

      I read that last section as "it did pick up another asset from the THQ sale: rights to the Homeworld franchise" and almost pooped myself before I realized it said "HomeFront".... Meh.

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        January 28, 2013 2:19 PM

        Haha. Although... SEGA bought Relic, so a new Homeworld isn't entirely out of the question.

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          January 28, 2013 2:56 PM

          I thought the news sites were reporting that Homeworld was still in THQs hands, and would be sold off later along with other older IPs?

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            January 28, 2013 2:58 PM

            Though I'd hope Sega scoops that property up for Relic's sake and our sanity.

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      January 28, 2013 2:18 PM

      I'm glad they'll be landing somewhere

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      January 28, 2013 2:43 PM

      I'm glad Crytek has managed to stay independent. It allows them to do stuff like this.

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      January 28, 2013 2:46 PM

      This is good news!

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      January 28, 2013 3:02 PM

      Thats cool. How big was Vigil though, its better than none but 35 doens't sound like a lot.

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        January 28, 2013 3:20 PM

        It doesn't sound like a lot, no, but to those 35 it means the world no doubt. And I don't know how big it was, I imagine it wasn't to large tho.

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      January 28, 2013 4:21 PM

      Does anyone know what happens to Vigil's IPs ? specifically the Darksiders series, and the rights to make DMO, and the assets they had already developed for DMO

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        January 28, 2013 5:23 PM

        It will be sold/auctioned at a later date with the rest of THQ's remaining assets.

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      January 29, 2013 1:48 PM

      Thats why I want to live there. California sucks for having a hard time finding a job.

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