IllFonic Licenses CryEngine 3 For XBLA/PSN FPS Nexuiz

Independent developer IllFonic has licensed Crytek's multiplatform CryEngine 3 engine to power its upcoming downloadable first-person arena shooter Nexuiz for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Founded in 2007 by singer and music producer Raphael Saadiq, engineer Chuck Brungardt, and designer Kedhrin Gonzalez, the studio is also working on Ghetto Golf for Live Arcade, PSN, and PC. Nexuiz is an online-oriented competitive FPS, based on the free open-source PC FPS of the same name developed by the international game development group Alientrap. According to Crytek and IllFonic, the new commercial version will be the first downloadable console game to make use of CryEngine 3. The engine has been most heavily showcased in Crytek's own upcoming Crysis 2, and has also been licensed by GSC Game World (STALKER series), Xaviant, and Panzar Studio. "IllFonic firmly believes in bringing the consumer the highest quality games at an affordable price through downloadable distribution channels," Brungardt said in a statement. "Switching to CryEngine 3 has helped us stay true to our vision and build the Nexuiz arenas the way we see it without any limitations. We are incredibly proud that Nexuiz will be the first downloadable title developed on CryEngine 3." Crytek's global business development director Carl Jones said the game's genre and downloadable nature make it a good fit for the engine. "Nexuiz is going to deliver a game style that will be a blast for the console audience, matched with the best graphics possible on the consoles," he said. "Our real-time multiplatform pipeline Live Create is highly suited to prototyping and delivering quality for games with shorter development cycles, and you get all the benefits of the AAA features of the engine. ...We’re glad Illfonic have chosen CryEngine 3 to deliver it in style."