Crytek's Console-Ready CryEngine 3 To Debut At GDC

Independent studio Crytek will present CryEngine 3, the next version of its engine and game development environment, at the upcoming Game Developers Conference 2009 in San Francisco. Unlike its predecessor CryEngine 2, used in the company's own Crysis and Crysis Warhead and licensed to a small number of external partners, CryEngine 3 supports Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in addition to DirectX 9 and 10 for PC. The new multiplatform focus makes it likely Crytek plans to pursue a more aggressive licensing strategy than it has traditionally. Alongside the engine will come the third iteration of the CryEngine Sandbox level editor, described as a "what you see is what you play" tool. "Our complete game engine solution enables realtime development, ensures teams are able to maximise their own creativity, saves budget and creates greater gaming experiences," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. "Also with our solution developers can start working on their next generation games today." Although Crytek claims the technology is "next-gen-ready" for "all major upcoming platforms" beyond the current generation, it is not entirely clear if CryEngine 3 is actually as significant a change as CryEngine 2 was to its predecessor, or if it would be better described as a more scalable version of CryEngine 2. Notably, the announcement makes no mention of DirectX 11, which has already been heavily detailed and will ship with Windows 7, the next version of Microsoft's operating system. During GDC, Crytek's engine business team will be delivering public demonstrations and conducting meetings with potential licensees.