Crytek Kiev, makers of the free-to-play online shooter Warface, announced on Wednesday that it breaking from Crytek to form the independent studio Blackwood Games. Headed by Warface creative director Michael Khaimzon, Blackwood will take over all development of the franchise moving forward.
In the blog post, Crytek CEO Avni Yerli explained that the creation of a new studio enabled a closer partnership with the game’s publisher. At the same time, the reorganization allows Crytek to focus on its core IPs and long-term plans.
My.com currently publishes Warface in North America and Europe. When the game first launched, it was published in partnership between Trion Worlds and Crytek. According to the developers, Warface currently has over 65 million players around the world.
In the statement, Blackwood’s new head Michael Khaimzon said, “It was a tough decision to leave Crytek after all these years, but sometimes you need change to evolve. It’s very important for us to focus on developing Warface in a way that lives up to players’ expectations. We have kept the development team intact, and their expertise will allow us to move forward with our plans and ideas. Yet we’re very thankful to Crytek for all the great years together and for their commendable support of this move.”
Friends!#Warface development team, led by the studio’s Creative Director Michael Khaimzon, is forming its own independent development company, #Blackwood. It will take over all further development of Warface, including all previously announced updates: https://t.co/elYuFRn4aw pic.twitter.com/lAL2hzbhlQ
— Warface (@Warface) February 6, 2019
