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[Kotaku] Crytek Sues Star Citizen Makers For Breaching Contract

8K views 98 replies 53 participants last post by  Majin SSJ Eric 
#1 ·
Quote:
"German game publisher Crytek is suing Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) for breaching contract and infringing its copyright, asking for a jury trial to determine the value of damages.

The two companies had originally partnered on Star Citizen, which still has no release date but has raised nearly $200 million in crowdfunding since it first launched on Kickstarter in 2012. CIG had used Crytek's CryEngine technology and collaborated with the publisher on marketing, among other things. But as the years went on, their relationship disintegrated."
https://kotaku.com/crytek-sues-star-citizen-makers-for-breaching-contract-1821269577

Legal Documents: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/23222744/Crytek_GmbH_v_Cloud_Imperium_Games_Corp_et_al
 
#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by farmdve View Post

Crytek's out of money so they are using all available methods to obtain it.
It's tragic really, ignoring their motives for a minute. If they didn't CoD all over themselves they could've really stirred up the shooter genre, on top of how they led the charge for years in video game graphics innovation. I was a huge fan of Crysis and Warhead, it's a shame to see them go down like this.
 
#4 ·
I can't support a studio that treats their artists like garbage and doesn't pay them. I've been in that boat too many times to ignore such crap.

Screw Crytek, I hope they go bankrupt.
 
#5 ·
CryTek needs to die already. They have yet to release a game that sells, and their new Hunt game is going to bomb as well.
 
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#6 ·
It's like people want Star Citizen to fail just because they've known about it from day 1. The game has not missed any stated release date as far as I know, and the development time is within the time frame of a normal AAA game. We just knew about this game sooner since it was on kickstarter.
 
#8 ·
actually Crytek has what looks to me like a solid case here.

Lets set aside your feelings about Crytek and SC, and look at the facts. The facts are pretty obviously in Crytek's favor on this one.

It looks like it's highly likely SC breached their contract and then handed out their tech to 3rd parties.

The problem Crytek is going to have is it will be hard to prove significant loss (which is key in a civil suit) when the title isn't even released yet. So while the facts support their case, the damages they could win will be minimal unless this game releases and is a commercial success.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by azanimefan View Post

actually Crytek has what looks to me like a solid case here.

Lets set aside your feelings about Crytek and SC, and look at the facts. The facts are pretty obviously in Crytek's favor on this one.

It looks like it's highly likely SC breached their contract and then handed out their tech to 3rd parties.

The problem Crytek is going to have is it will be hard to prove significant loss (which is key in a civil suit) when the title isn't even released yet. So while the facts support their case, the damages they could win will be minimal unless this game releases and is a commercial success.
They've already made $200m, that could be considered a commercial success already (and likely what Crytek is banking on).

I would bet in the end Crytek wasn't holding up their end of the bargain either. I'm not about to read the whole legal document and figure it out though
tongue.gif
.
 
#13 ·
Disappointed in Crytek. Of all the companies to go after, they pick the one that doesn't have a really stable revenue stream.

And thank you everyone for your negativity about Star Citizen. Your complaints will be noted in the log.

Meanwhile, I'll be over here playing the 3.0 PTU zipping around and having a blast. Quit raining on people's parades.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by darthjoe229 View Post

Disappointed in Crytek. Of all the companies to go after, they pick the one that doesn't have a really stable revenue stream.

And thank you everyone for your negativity about Star Citizen. Your complaints will be noted in the log.

Meanwhile, I'll be over here playing the 3.0 PTU zipping around and having a blast. Quit raining on people's parades.
This guy has either paid 10 bucks a month for the privilege of playing the PTU or he has spent several thousand dollars to be in the first two waves of PTU testing... to play an alpha with a frame rate that averages in the teens!

Everyone give him a medal.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkpriest667 View Post

This guy has either paid 10 bucks a month for the privilege of playing the PTU or he has spent several thousand dollars to be in the first two waves of PTU testing... to play an alpha with a frame rate that averages in the teens!

Everyone give him a medal.
And how does this change your life negatively exactly? We have actual companies trying to take your freedoms away but someone pledging money towards a game THEY believe in is the actual issue.

Nah, he's playing 3.0...something people like you said was never coming. It's all a scam...it's just somehow all coming together slowly like any other game made.

A company like Rockstar with billions of dollar and hundreds of employee's and tech that's already been established (engines, physics, netcode, etc, etc, etc) still takes YEARS to develop a game like GTA 5 but CIG that started FROM NOTHING? Nah, it's been 5 years and they don't have the full game when they started from scratch. SCAM!

Obviously.

/sarcasm.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by hhuey5 View Post

CryTek says on their website?
The contract both companies signed up for doesn't care about the fact the engine went free multiple years after the fact. Contract was signed, thems the deals. That's how it is. At the time of signing it was presumably a fair and legal contract, and therefore you as a company or individual are obliged to make good on the terms.

EDIT: From what I can tell it seems like a legitimate complaint, and CIG has (at least according to the legal complaint) avoided rectifying the situation in every way it can. I will definitely be watching with interest.
 
#17 ·
Crytek gives Star Citizen makers a contract, Star Citizen creators break said contact = Crytek in the right.

In other news, 2+2=4, water is wet.
 
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#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndroidVageta View Post

And how does this change your life negatively exactly? We have actual companies trying to take your freedoms away but someone pledging money towards a game THEY believe in is the actual issue.

Nah, he's playing 3.0...something people like you said was never coming. It's all a scam...it's just somehow all coming together slowly like any other game made.

A company like Rockstar with billions of dollar and hundreds of employee's and tech that's already been established (engines, physics, netcode, etc, etc, etc) still takes YEARS to develop a game like GTA 5 but CIG that started FROM NOTHING? Nah, it's been 5 years and they don't have the full game when they started from scratch. SCAM!

Obviously.

/sarcasm.
Considering they promised us we'd all get to test the builds, it does negatively affect me. That and land sales have really sealed the deal for me. I had kept my scratch in the game, but after Christmas, I'm asking for a refund. It's not even about the money, it's about the principle at this point.
 
#19 ·
It's a bit of a grey area, if the Star Citizen now uses a game engine based off of Cry Engine... isn't that still sort of using Cry Engine?

Eh... who cares really.

Only the lawyers win in court cases.
 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by paulerxx View Post

Crytek gives Star Citizen makers a contract, Star Citizen creators break said contact = Crytek in the right.

In other news, 2+2=4, water is wet.
Depends what the contract entailed. For instance if the contract was a simple licensing contract for RSI to use the engine for the game then they are free to abandon the engine use as long as they paid their costs from the license in the first place.

If the contract were to include special clauses such as RSI must collaborate on the engine with Crytek and improve the engine, then a breach of that depends if there was collaboration or not. Which we do know Star Citizen dev's did bring a lot of new features to the engine, so we know they did "collaborate" and uphold their end, but I guess the duration of that collaboration is in doubt to Crytek and why Crytek is claiming here that RSI did not do the collaboration. The claim about Squadron 42 using engine without license also seems fishy, as it was my understanding that the S42 used Lumberyard, so it isnt using the Cryengine anyway...
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spaks View Post

The contract both companies signed up for doesn't care about the fact the engine went free multiple years after the fact. Contract was signed, thems the deals. That's how it is. At the time of signing it was presumably a fair and legal contract, and therefore you as a company or individual are obliged to make good on the terms.

EDIT: From what I can tell it seems like a legitimate complaint, and CIG has (at least according to the legal complaint) avoided rectifying the situation in every way it can. I will definitely be watching with interest.
Star Citizen Squadron 42 Game went with Amazon ; Arent They under FREE?
or are they under contract w Amazon?
 
#23 ·
My guess is that CIG used CryEngine originally and then decided to cut out Crytek by "developing" their own engine, which was just CryEngine with a coat of paint on it. Of course I don't actually have any knowledge about this but that seems like it would be Crytek's complaint.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Majin SSJ Eric View Post

My guess is that CIG used CryEngine originally and then decided to cut out Crytek by "developing" their own engine, which was just CryEngine with a coat of paint on it. Of course I don't actually have any knowledge about this but that seems like it would be Crytek's complaint.
not really, it seems like the main issue is they signed an exclusive contract with Crytek to use ONLY the CryEngine, and part of the contract was to HEAVILY advertise this fact, and to protect certain aspects of the engine. Apparently what CIG did was break the contract, and sign with Amazon (for their heavily modified version of the CryEngine), drop CryEngine from their lit, and HAND OUT those "trade secrets" to one of their satellite studios for their own use (I believe this was a reference to the Marine FPS game they ended up ditching).

On the surface it does appear that CIG broke the contract on both counts.
 
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