Far Cry developer raided for alleged software piracy

The offices of German developer Crytek, currently finishing work on PC first person shooter Far Cry for Ubisoft, were allegedly raided by police this morning following a tip-off from a former employee regarding pirated software.

According to reports which have appeared on German news sites, officers from Bavarian police authorities, accompanied by computer experts, searched both the offices of the developer and the home of the head of the company.

Crytek is thought to stand accused of using pirate copies of certain software tools used in the game development process - with damages in the six-figure range (in Euros) being quoted. According to the law enforcement agencies, they became aware of Crytek's case following a tip-off from a former employee of the developer.

It's unlikely that the raid will have any significant effect on the production process of Far Cry, the company's technically impressive PC FPS game which received positive feedback from fans following the release of an official demo late last month. However, neither Crytek nor publisher Ubisoft have yet commented on the raid, or on its repercussions.

External Link: [ Far Cry: Razzia bei den Entwicklern - PC Games Online (German)]