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Crytek CEO worried about impact of App Store pricing

Says industry is being undermined by cheap games

Crytek CEO worried about impact of App Store pricing
It's often as interesting as it is partisan when a developer known for working on one platform talks about another.

The fact that Crytek – a studio built upon graphical excellence – has been discussing working on mobile formats is, therefore, bound to catch the attention.

"The social and mobile spaces are certainly something we’ve been looking at for a while now. Well, we’ll have to see what time brings, but that’s all I can say right now," Crytek CEO president Cevat Yerli told Develop in a recent interview.

But rather than heap praise upon the industry, Yerli showed concern regarding how its success may be adversely effecting traditional publishers and developers.

The price is wrong

"I think the App Store changes the perception of game prices, which I really don't like," he added.

"It's pushing out games at such a low price that it distorts the perception of what a game should be priced at. IPad and iPhone are both doing a real disservice to game prices by allowing games at such low price points – it is an issue the industry has to address."

Crytek's director for global development also pointed out this means that many iPhone studios "won't be making a second game".

Under pressure

"The App Store games are under such pressure that, too make money out of it I would find very challenging," Yerli continued.

"If you look at someone who now takes a casual interest in games; they can get their iPhone and iPad games for something like $4.99, and that drives down sales on mobile platforms, and that in turn will drive down sales of handhelds, and eventually all this pressure will drive down the prices of full console retail games."

Despite such profit concerns, however, Yerli suggested mobile development isn't completely out of the question, quipping that a mobile version of Crysis 5 could happen, as long as it was a "two-hour game selling for $4.99".

[source: Develop]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.