Skip to main content

Crytek joins THQ for the next Homefront game

When the next Homefront game is released, tentatively sometime in 2014, there is one thing you can probably expect: It will be very pretty. THQ has announced that Crytek, makers of the graphically ridiculous Crysis games as well as the original Far Cry, have been brought on to take over development on the next Homefront game.  They will replace Kaos Studios, which was recently closed in what THQ called a “strategic realignment.”

When Homefront was released in March, critics (us included) lauded the story, written by John Milius (co-writer of Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn). It was gritty, dark and even disturbing at parts. As for the graphics… well, the story was good. There was the core of a great game buried under a mountain of technical flaws. But at least the game was pathetically short so you didn’t see all the anti-aliasing issues and underdeveloped graphics for long.

Yet despite the numerous problems, there was still enough going for it in Homefront that made it hard not to be drawn in by it. THQ recognized that as well, and so went to one of the most respected developers in the industry to help with their new franchise IP.

Homefront was a moderate critical success. The story was original and compelling, and the online was fun and well designed in terms of gameplay. If Crytek and THQ can fix the bugs and clean the game up, the next game in the series may quickly become one of the most anticipated games of 2014.  

“We see Homefront as a really strong universe that has a lot of potential and that has been expertly created and marketed by THQ,” Cevat Yerli, Founder, CEO and President of Crytek said in the press release.

With Kaos Studios being closed, any work that had been completed on the game shifted to THQ Montreal. That work will now be handed off to Crytek, who are aiming for a release sometime in THQ’s 2014 fiscal year.

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Volgarr the Viking 2 will take you back to your Ghosts ‘n Goblins days
A viking slashes a tree in Volgarr the Viking 2.

Developer Digital Eclipse is working on a surprising project: Volgarr the Viking 2. The 2D retro sequel will launch on August 6 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The news is an out of left field reveal. The first Volgarr the Viking game released in 2013 and was made as an ode to 1080s classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite being a small release, it sold over 1 million copies over the past decade. As revealed during today's Guerrilla Collective stream, the series is coming back with a new sequel by Digital Eclipse, the team behind this year's Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Read more
3 Days of Play PS Plus games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Key art for Streets of Rage 4.

June 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty great month for PlayStation players. Not only are we coming off an entertaining State of Play showcase, but a new Days of Play initiative surrounding all the video game showcases this month is bringing a lot of new PS Plus additions with it. Many of those games hit PS Plus this week, and three in particular stand out to us.

For owners of Sony's oft-neglected PlayStation VR2, the first game is one of its rare exclusives that take full advantage of the headset's eye-tracking by seeing how often players blink. The next is a new PS Plus Essential game that's a revival of Sega's classic beat-'em-up series for the modern gaming era. Finally, the last title is an atmospheric and eerie fishing game that should entice fans of Lovecraftian horror.
Before Your Eyes

Read more
3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal

Read more