Crytek form new studio, fill it with ex-Vigil staff

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The aftermath of the THQ bankruptcy left Darksiders developer Vigil without a buyer. But while the studio has been closed down, many of its former staffers may have found a happy end to the sorry saga. Crytek have founded a new studio in Austin, Texas, with Vigil's co-founder David Adams in place as its CEO. The new development house - Crytek USA Corp. - has been filled with "core" members of the Vigil team.

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli issued a statement, saying, "Crytek has always enjoyed a special relationship with gamers and business partners in North America, so establishing a permanent presence in the US was a natural step."

"We are extremely excited about the work that we will be undertaking from our strategic new location in Austin, with David Adams and his team of 35 experienced developers," Yerli continued, referencing the 35 ex-Vigil staff hired by the studio. "We believe our CryEngine technology will enable the team we assemble to create unparalleled new gaming experiences."

THQ President Jason Rubin offered his congratulations to the team, tweeting : "Great news for Vigil, at least the core team ... Thanks to Crytek for saving as much as they could of a fantastic team."

No word yet on what the USA Corp will be working on. While the Darksiders rights are still due to be auctioned off, Vigil had moved their attentions to a new IP, codenamed Crawler.

Thanks, Polygon .

Phil Savage
Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.