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Pitchford: id and Crytek are 'risking failure' photo

Randy "Savage" Pitchford is at it again. The outspoken Gearbox Software president has moved on from criticizing Valve and is now focusing on id Software and Crytek, two of the biggest PC developers out there. Randy believes that the two studios have pushed technology to a point where they risk their own doom.

"This is going to be the longest generation we've seen in the last few of them," Pitchford tells OXM. "Some people have invested a lot going to a place that's too far, and the customers aren't ready for that yet because they don't have the hardware for it.

"I was thinking of Crytek, they couldn't find a market because they made a game that very few people could play. I'm not putting words in their mouth, I remember reading something publicly where they said they couldn't put this on consoles because of the hardware ... We see the id guys talking continuously about this, -- 'well, Sony will have a Blu-Ray and I don't know what we'll do on the 360, maybe we'll have three DVDs ... if the publisher will let us do that, maybe we'll errrrahh I dunno.'

"Because they're in this kind of "generation plus" mode, and like nobody knows what the generation beyond this one is going to look like."

I can see what Pitchford is saying, although I think that id, at the very least, is savvy enough to see which way the wind is blowing, as evidenced by the fact that Rage is even coming to consoles in the first place. As for Crytek, who knows? What Randy says is true -- they did make a game (Crysis) that very few people can run properly, and that's just silly.


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45 comments | showing # 1 to 45

Daxelman's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:28
Daxelman
CryENGINE 3 was more focused on bringing the CryENGINE 2 experience to the consoles right?

Crysis 2 is coming out to both 360 and PS3 as well as the PC.

Don't bring the hammer down on Crytek just yet, they still got some tricks...

iD?

Well, next year, or the year after that.
CrocStock's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:30
CrocStock
If he wants to talk then damn well let him! It's not like people criticize you for you hasty words in articles, so don't shoot down him for his. Although they are in currently quite a stable position, he does make an interesting business point that they may be going too far, although it would be beyond all of us to comment on a game that hasn't been released and for which we don't know the plans, staff and current progression on.
Scroll's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:36
Scroll
Even if CryEngine 2 was lower spec Crytek would still be at risk since they don't make highly marketable games. Crysis was IMO, uninspiring, lacking a decent story and generally boring to play.
reindall's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:38
reindall
errrrahh I dunno
Ruben Hanssen's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:40
Ruben Hanssen
At least someones actually trying to push the envelope her Pitchford...
Next-gen is soooo 2007. Atleast CryTek makes it possible to turn down the settings on PC so you can't say that only a few people can play their games.
Ruben Hanssen's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:41
Ruben Hanssen
*here

Typos are hawt!
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:41
Jim Sterling
"If he wants to talk then damn well let him! It's not like people criticize you for you hasty words in articles, so don't shoot down him for his."

Well, first of all, I didn't shoot him down, and second of all, I'm not the president of a software company who keeps openly badmouthing my peers.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:43
Jetsetlemming
Crysis was a success, whatever you may think about how big or small its possible market was. It sold a couple million copies, turned a big profit for EA and Crytek, they sold some engine licenses, lots of up and coming 3d artists have moved from Unreal to Cryengine to showcase their work since it looks prettier, and it funded the creation of their next every-platform-at-once engine.
Plus if it weren't for that Crysis money Free Radical would've died and stayed dead and have been gone forever, instead of becoming Crytek UK.
Face's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:46
Face
So, they wanted to push the cutting edge as opposed to make lots of mass market money? I wouldn't criticize people for doing that, unless I was a stock holder for them. As a gamer I like it. I just wish they could continue to do it. It just doesn't seem very sustainable.
N0R3M0RS3's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:51
N0R3M0RS3
Wait...so people are pushing hardware to the max, and because it's iffy on how the consoles will handle it, he's bad mouthing them? And seriously, Crysis doesn't take OMG T3h SUPAR CUMPUTERZ to run, a $700 PC will run it on high settings.

Imagine where gaming would be today if there weren't people willing to try and push the hardware as far as it possibly could be pushed.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:52
Sexualchocolate
I look forward to seeing Crysis on my PS3, just to see what all the (user and blogger generated) hype is about. - It's got to be a risky business designing games for next-gen consoles, the way it's going they're going to need to include some cartoony avatards, motion control and sports minigames. (yuck)

On another note, nice new TV Jim, managed to get MW2 working online yet? Thought that a problem free online gaming system was what people paid for LIVE for? Do people get any money back when they can't use that thar paid for service properly?

Do you ignore my twatter messages? Or am i doing it wrong? I'm new to Twatter you see.
otikik's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:53
otikik
I used to like Gearbox. I thought Opposing Force was great.

Now... meh.
Stevil's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:53
Stevil
Randy Pitchford there, a man in charge of a company who is completely floundering with their use of Aliens license. As much as I'm disinterested in Rebellion's AvP, they did step in to practically give Sega the financial back up plan they needed. One they probably didn't need if Gearbox had decided to not dick around with Aliens: Colonial Marines...but y'know...I'm not putting words in Randy's mouth or anything.
Daxelman's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 08:57
Daxelman
Guys.

He made fun of iD too...
CrocStock's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:03
CrocStock
"Well, first of all, I didn't shoot him down, and second of all, I'm not the president of a software company who keeps openly badmouthing my peers."

After reading again, I guess I was too hasty to post, sorry for the comment.
N0R3M0RS3's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:04
N0R3M0RS3
@Daxelman

Good point.

If he wants 3 discs, he can have 3 discs Pitchford! Though, to be honest, 3 discs of blurry textures is still 3 discs of blurry textures. Silly Xbox tech limitations.
Daxelman's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:08
Daxelman
Watch Squenix be all, "Our 5 Disk Game Looks better than your silly 3 Disk FPS simpleton western experience!"
crusnchill's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:15
crusnchill
Think about it this way for a second Mr.Pitchford; If the geniuses down at crytek can make a game look as phenomenal as crytek, then they can outsrip anything your guys can think off when it comes down to optimising game to look really good and perform REALLY well.
MadExponent's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:18
MadExponent
Hmm ok dude
lastdual's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:26
lastdual
Both CryEngine 3 and id Tech5 are specifically designed to be console-friendly, so I think Pitchford is talking out of his ass this time.

Also, id was bought by Zenimax/Bethesda (who have plenty of spare cash to fund their projects), and despite the steep requirements, Crysis sold fairly well. Even if we're still using the same consoles in 2015, these companies are positioned well.
StingingVelvet's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:26
StingingVelvet
As said by others:

- Crysis made a large profit and sold over a million copies quickly after release. Who knows what it is up to now, and you also have to consider the cheaply made expansion Crysis Warhead which was almost surely a large profit margin release.

- A $500 computer can run Crysis well, an $800 can max it out. It's not future hardware from space... GTA4 takes a better computer than Crysis to run smoothly.

- Pitchford talks out his ass.
eduh's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:27
eduh
this guy is getting annoying, he needs to start focusing abit more on his company and let the others take care of themselves.

ye, maybe alot of people dont have hardware for the most demanding games, but alot of people do and these people appreciate having games that can take the most out of it. not to mention that at least on PC you can lower the settings and play the games even on weaker machines.

plus, the game engines form both companies he mentions are being used fucking everywhere. his own company used one of them ffs.
Turbofail's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:30
Turbofail
You know for a guy who made a game that feels like a shitty mod, he sure seems to be full of advice.
agentgray's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:32
agentgray
Wow. A person I used to respect in the industry has a somewhat successful game and starts to talk smack about all those in the industry who are his peers or helps him get there.

Way to burn bridges, Randy.
Turbofail's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:33
Turbofail
Randy Pitchford? More like Randy Pitchfork! AMIRIGHT!?
yutt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:51
yutt
"You know for a guy who made a game that feels like a shitty mod, he sure seems to be full of advice."

Not to mention, a man who's entire career has been based around making shitty sports games for hire and expansions and ports of his betters' games.

Maybe when Borderlands 4 has more than 6 enemy models and one environment he can have more ground to stand on.
DinosaurPizza's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 09:56
DinosaurPizza
I think you need a few people to think about the future, otherwise we'll always be living in today. Its like those people who saw 2001 Space Odyssey and responded with "Flat screen TVs? That's nonsense." I think Far Cry and Crysis set up great waypoints for the rest of the industry. When they make Playstation 4 (whenever that may be) I guarantee someone on staff will say "We should make a machine than can run Crysis."

Also Crysis sold over a million copies, so they seem to be doing fine. Not to mention the thousands of people who will buy a new computer in a year or two and what's the first game they'll buy as a litmus test?
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 10:00
Jon B
to a point where they risk their own doom.
Especially id, amirite?
Daxelman's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 10:00
Daxelman
DinosaurPizza: Not to mention the thousands of people who will buy a new computer in a year or two and what's the first game they'll buy as a litmus test?

Starcraft 2. Duh!
runtheplacered's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 10:24
runtheplacered
"What Randy says is true -- they did make a game (Crysis) that very few people can run properly, and that's just silly."

Except.. Crysis maintained a profit. And they also got to make a game that they were proud of and is still to this day used as a benchmark. Hell even the expansion pack sold nicely.
bagalot's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 10:42
bagalot
Why is this a story of how annoying Randy Pitchford is? There is no context in which these statements are made, and they're not all that unreasonable of opinions. If it was an interview where he was asked his opinion of these companies and teams and he gave an honest, thoughtful answer, then what's the problem?

Also, he's not really bashing them, he's commenting on their struggle to find a viable audience by pushing the envelope too far. Since when is that the equivalent of "What a crappy couple of studios, talk about FAIL"?

I guess I just don't understand why I keep seeing articles vilifying this guy and making him seem like some sort terrible enemy.
Leathersoup's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 11:45
Leathersoup
Yeah... I hate how companies like id and Crytek are constantly trying to push the technology level of games as opposed to raping the industry for all its worth.
sprldr's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 12:02
sprldr
Randy Pitchford.

What a rebel.
xdarkxwarriorx's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 12:44
xdarkxwarriorx
crytek got some serious brand loyalty out of me. i really enjoyed crysis and far cry. they do need to branch out from their norm though. i'd like to see them do something a bit different.

id... i dont see his point. doom 3 was a "generation plus" game too. just because pc has more capabilities than console graphically doesnt mean that pushing the hardware to its capabilities is a bad thing. last time i checked, there are still "low" settings on pc games...
breakbread's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 12:56
breakbread
Yeah, Crysis didn't sell over a million copies or anything.
Derek Gillies's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 13:01
Derek Gillies
Crytek sure is in the shit can now, what with the buying out other studios and all that. Talk about failure.

This guy just needs to stfu. It's bad enough he had to diss on valve - who he more or less owes his career to - but this is just getting silly.
sprldr's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 13:04
sprldr
@Derek Gillies:

Just because he owes his career to Valve doesn't mean he shouldn't speak his opinion on what they're doing. That's a very slippery slope.
Dr Awesome's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 16:27
Dr Awesome
Waitwaitwait, id he just diss iD? Kid's got some nerve. He points at the company that put FPS on the map, invented the WASD control scheme and pioneered smooth 2D scrolling, 2.5D and 3D gameplay on the PC and says 'well, I think they're aiming too high'.

Well done, genius. Maybe if you'd set your standards a little higher Borderlands wouldn't have been so BORING. The one thing you don't do is make snarky remarks about hard-working people that are better than you.

This guy's really starting to get on my nerves.
alex001's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 16:36
alex001
Think about it this way for a second Mr.Pitchford; If the geniuses down at crytek can make a game look as phenomenal as crytek, then they can outsrip anything your guys can think off when it comes down to optimising game to look really good and perform REALLY well.<a href="http://www.dog-health-guide.com/raw-dog-food-debate.html">Raw Dog Food Diet</a>
BoomingEchoes's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 18:30
BoomingEchoes
Will someone tell Pitchford to shut his mouth before he becomes the next Kotick, please?

While your at it please tell him that Gearbox risks failure, despite large sales, when they send out a game that was as buggy Borderlands.. You know, to warn him about the future..
Nickosha's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 18:39
Nickosha
Crysis actually scaled down pretty well; people were mostly complaining that they couldn't run it on very high. So really the statement that they made a game that very few people could play is false.

Mr. Pitchford doesn't know what he is talking about, like usual it's beginning to seem.
ajaxender's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 18:46
ajaxender
He's right. Everyone saying Crysis scaled down well (and it isnt the worst scaler ever) is missing the point: we were shown, promised, etc, a game that looked and acted incredible, on a level we hadnt seen before. At time of release, the best hardware available could not run Crysis 'well' at those settings. Even now, a 'typical' gaming pc will not run it as advertised.

Crytek have learned though; has Jim forgotten about the Cryengine 3 already? We've already seen some nice videos, running on 360 and ps3.
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 19:44
Wedge
Eh Randy, why don't you shut your face and go make Borderlands stop sucking so I can go back and play it?
shadydentist's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/16/2009 21:21
shadydentist
Crysis scales surprisingly well. Nobody can run it on max, but the game looks okay and runs great on Medium.
matrixdude171's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/17/2009 01:24
matrixdude171
Crytek is a bit ahead of the times. I'm waiting for the next crysis to be on a console.
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