MindArk has signed a licensing agreement with German game developer Crytek to use CryENGINE 2 for Entropia Universe. Crytek developed Far Cry and was preparing to release Crysis. The transition to an Entropia Universe platform based on the engine was expected to be completed by mid-2008, after which it would be available to all Entropia Universe partners.
MindArk CEO Jan Welter Timkrans said the engine’s features would support the next version of Entropia Universe and combine its real-cash economy and planetary-colonisation setting with more lifelike visuals. The description reflects the companies’ claims for the technology and the resulting experience.
Crytek Managing Director Avni Yerli said the combination of CryENGINE 2 and MindArk’s virtual world was intended to produce more realistic graphics, environments and animation using recent PC hardware and operating systems.
MindArk PE AB was founded in Sweden in April 2003. It develops, supports and operates Entropia Universe, which launched in 2003 and had more than 615,000 registered participants at the time. The company had been profitable since 2004. It provides the Entropia Universe client without registration or monthly subscription fees.
Crytek GmbH develops interactive entertainment software from its headquarters in Frankfurt, with additional studios in Kyiv and Budapest. Its products include Far Cry, Crysis and the proprietary CryENGINE 2 technology for PC and future console games.
