Crysis Remastered Announced for Nintendo Switch
Returning to one’s roots can either be a healing or painful experience. For some, revisiting the positive memories of yesterday can be a catalyst for future success. For others, exploring past mistakes can dredge up memories of embarrassment and shame. As for independent developer Crytek, the studio’s feelings are mixed. But on Friday, the troubled independent studio decided to rekindle one of its most successful franchises with a special announcement: Crysis Remastered for the Nintendo Switch.
A Troubled Past
In the year 2020, independent studios are thriving. From Toby Fox’s Undertale to Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight, fans can play these classics on almost any platform. But such was not the case in the mid-2000s. In fact, many independent studios were forced to sacrifice many successful intellectual properties to remain viable. For Crytek, the company placed a dangerous bet that caused it to nearly close its doors.
As first-person shooters gained popularity in the early 2000s, Crytek was on the frontlines of this new genre. Its first game, Far Cry, was a resounding success with over 730,000 copies sold in four months after release. Looking to build on its growing popularity, the company made a decision to continue developing its “CryEngine” for future titles. As a result, Crytek sold the rights of the Far Cry series to Ubisoft in hopes that its next game would achieve even higher levels of success.
Ubisoft quickly obliged and went on to produce seven more Far Cry games that sold in excess of 50 million copies. Crytek continued to refine its engine and develop a futuristic first-person shooter: the Crysis series. Initially published by Electronic Arts, Crysis was one of the most graphically intensive games of the mid-2000s. So much so that when gamers compared hardware power, they often responded with “but can it run Crysis.” The original game sold over three million units, and the industry considered it a commercial success.
But Crysis never achieved the same level of success as the Far Cry series. Each of its three sequels continued to experience sales disappointments to the point that Crytek nearly went bankrupt in 2014. After dabbling with smaller titles and multiple outlets, Crytek made the decision to return to its roots.
A Redemption Story in the Making
After recently dabbling in mobile and virtual reality games, the studio was lost. As the video game industry continues to struggle with the 2020 global pandemic, Crytek was at a crossroads. Should it continue to explore outlets and genres or should it return to its first-person shooter roots? In a move that rocked the video game world, the troubled developer published the following tweet:
The trailer included little more than a series of YouTube fan comments and seconds of gameplay. But despite a lack of information, the industry erupted by viewing the trailer over 520,000 times in 24 hours. Fans are excited. Publishers are excited. Platform owners are thrilled.
But Can It Run On Switch?
Need we say more? The collective video game industry is curious if the Nintendo Switch can run Crysis Remastered. While graphically demanding games, such as The Witcher 3 and Doom (2016), are technological wonders, a less-than-optimized games like the Crysis series could prove challenging. The primary questions that Nintendo fans are wondering include the following:
- Will Crysis Remastered release on the same date as other platforms?
- How will the game’s graphics compare to other consoles?
- Will the game release on a physical cartridge?
- Will the game feature cross play?
While we do not have definitive answers to these pressing questions, we are excited about playing Crysis on-the-go.
Conclusion
Although it is not unusual for companies to announce remasters, fans did not expect Crytek to announce Crysis Remastered. In addition, no one expected the studio to launch a graphically demanding game for the Nintendo Switch. While Crysis defined the early generation of first-person shooters, players recall the challenges the game faced when running on PC and console. But after a decade of technology upgrades, Crysis Remastered appears ready to springboard Crytek to new heights.
Given that the studio announced its release on the current generation of consoles, we expect Crytek to release its game in the upcoming months.But we want to know what you think. Did you play the original Crysis game on PC? How do you think the game will run on the Nintendo Switch? Let us know in the comments below or the social media links on the right. Also, be sure to check out our other articles on the NieR series, which includes our latest “Music that Moves” column.
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