Ubisoft Acquires Far Cry IP Rights

Officials from French publisher developer Ubisoft have announced that the company has acquired all intellectual property rights to the Far Cry franchise from German development studio Crytek for an undisclosed sum. According to the company, the rights will allow Ubisoft to create new entries in the Far Cry series independent of Crytek, as well as allow the company to continue to use the version of the CryENGINE graphics technology used in the current games – either for further sequels or other unrelated games. Ubisoft has already indicated it intends to adapt and improve the engine for subsequent releases. Developer Crytek, which is an independent studio, recently signed with Electronic Arts to publish the already heavily previewed PC title Crysis, so it appears that Ubisoft has decided to take steps to protect its publishing and ownership of the Far Cry series. The French-headquartered firm has achieved notable critical success with its publishing of the series of first person shoot ‘em-ups, including the PC original and the well received-Xbox conversion, though it is not yet clear that the franchise has been a commercial smash. An Xbox 360 iteration named Far Cry Instincts: Predator and Xbox expansion Far Cry Instincts: Evolution are both due for release this week. "Far Cry is one of Ubisoft's most successful brands and this agreement is one further step in our strategy to constantly enrich our catalogue of fully owned brands. With Far Cry, we look forward to further consolidating our leading position in the first person shooters genre" said Yves Guillemot, President & CEO of Ubisoft Entertainment