Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has historically been outspoken in his belief that the industry is ready and waiting for the next-gen consoles to arrive and usher in a new era of graphical potential and immersive experiences. His opinionated sentiments continue to criticize the console market while praising the possibilities of what tablet technology could produce for the gaming industry, recently telling VG247 in an interview that tablets have already begun to “take over in some ways.”
“The current generations are drying out, and the longer we wait for the next generation of consoles, the higher the likelihood that they could fall behind tablets in terms of being the first thing people reach for when the time comes to play games,” Yerli said. “Tablets are putting pressure on the gaming industry, and taking over in some ways, so that should be kept in mind.”
When asked if the industry is indeed ready for the Xbox 720 and PS4, Yerli stated that developers are ready now, and have been for quite some time, saying, “At this stage, we can’t comment on or even speculate as to when, or if, the next generation will be announced. But we think that it’s time for the next generation and we think that it’s overdue already.”
Most analysts believe that Microsoft and Sony are readying a reveal of the Xbox 720 and PS4 for E3 2013 and will announce the launch of both consoles for a Holiday 2013 release. Before that time arrives however, Yerli and Crytek are focused on Crysis 3 which is set to arrive on this generation’s platforms and is pegged for a February 2013 release date. Crysis 3 looks to boast the same jaw-dropping graphics and rendering that has given the series its prominence and respect within the industry.
Speaking of graphics, Yerli stated elsewhere in the interview that although he is well aware of the enormous potential of the Unreal Engine 4 and the striking realism of Square Enix’s Luminous Engine, he still believes the CryENGINE 3 remains the pinnacle of gaming graphics and technology.
“We have been presenting CryENGINE 3 as next-gen ready technology since GDC 2010,” said Yerli. “And we think that Unreal Engine 4 has done a good job to catch up, but nothing is there that surprised us and we still believe CryENGINE 3 remains the benchmark.”
