OK, hope you excuse me if this sound clickbait-y but I don't mean it as that. It's based on something that sounds a bit like a rumour but it feels like it has some substance to it:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13140938
And a copy/paste of that post (it was "flagged" yesterday but reinstated later on):
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/Frujin/status/794270387999604736]
Now, normally that might be grasping at straws - "sure, he quit but that doesn't prove that the studio he used to be in is not being paid" you can say and I'd agree. However, what I find interesting here is that he found Black Sea Games. The reason I find this interesting is because of history - see, before he was the head of the Bulgarian Crytek branch, he used to be the head of the Bulgarian game dev company, called Black Sea Studios. Later Crytek acquired it and renamed it Crytek Black Sea.
So, I think you can notice a pattern here. To me, it suggests that Mr Handjiev tries to sort of "stick it" to Crytek by naming his new company as (almost) the same name as it was before and (almost) the same name as their current studio. The new company's logo is also reminiscent of the old one, which reinforces this idea in my mind:
So, yeah, I realise it's a bit stretching it, but to me, these facts legitimize the rumour to an extent.
But anyway, let's ignore the names for a moment - looking at his LinkedIn profile, Mr Handjiev has been the head of the same studio[footnote]before and after the acquisition[/footnote] for fifteen years. And he suddenly leaves now. Furthermore, he's been in the game development business for 20 years in total[footnote]before founding Black Sea Studios, he worked in Haemimont Games for 5 years.[/footnote]. Sounds like a guy who likes the games business. For him to leave it might be because Crytek aren't allowing the studio freedom to make the games they want to make. This is somewhat reinforced by their latest game being a MOBA - you know, the thing that is sort of the new WoW in that a lot of companies have been trying to make "the new DotA" or "the new LoL" (with limited success). And this totally sounds like something that might have been mandated "from above" - Crytek going "you know, you'll make THIS!".
By themselves, these two things are a but weak but both together do reinforce themselves.
Overall, this does suggest some problem with the studio. But does it mean Crytek themselves are having problems? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not, however it might just be the first sign of a deeper problem.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13140938
And a copy/paste of that post (it was "flagged" yesterday but reinstated later on):
After I read that, I followed up in the director, Vesselin Handjiev, and...he did seem to have quit. His his LinkedIn account [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frujin] lists him as working in Black Sea Games now and he even tweeted about it:
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/Frujin/status/794270387999604736]
Now, normally that might be grasping at straws - "sure, he quit but that doesn't prove that the studio he used to be in is not being paid" you can say and I'd agree. However, what I find interesting here is that he found Black Sea Games. The reason I find this interesting is because of history - see, before he was the head of the Bulgarian Crytek branch, he used to be the head of the Bulgarian game dev company, called Black Sea Studios. Later Crytek acquired it and renamed it Crytek Black Sea.
So, I think you can notice a pattern here. To me, it suggests that Mr Handjiev tries to sort of "stick it" to Crytek by naming his new company as (almost) the same name as it was before and (almost) the same name as their current studio. The new company's logo is also reminiscent of the old one, which reinforces this idea in my mind:
Black Sea Studios
Black Sea Games
So, yeah, I realise it's a bit stretching it, but to me, these facts legitimize the rumour to an extent.
But anyway, let's ignore the names for a moment - looking at his LinkedIn profile, Mr Handjiev has been the head of the same studio[footnote]before and after the acquisition[/footnote] for fifteen years. And he suddenly leaves now. Furthermore, he's been in the game development business for 20 years in total[footnote]before founding Black Sea Studios, he worked in Haemimont Games for 5 years.[/footnote]. Sounds like a guy who likes the games business. For him to leave it might be because Crytek aren't allowing the studio freedom to make the games they want to make. This is somewhat reinforced by their latest game being a MOBA - you know, the thing that is sort of the new WoW in that a lot of companies have been trying to make "the new DotA" or "the new LoL" (with limited success). And this totally sounds like something that might have been mandated "from above" - Crytek going "you know, you'll make THIS!".
By themselves, these two things are a but weak but both together do reinforce themselves.
Overall, this does suggest some problem with the studio. But does it mean Crytek themselves are having problems? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not, however it might just be the first sign of a deeper problem.
