Warface team splits from Crytek to form Blackwood Games

Today, the development team at Crytek Kiev behind free-to-play shooter Warface has announced it will be parting ways with Crytek and forming a separate studio, Blackwood Games.

In an official blog post, the Warface team announced that Blackwood Games will be led by Warface creative director Michael Khaimzon, and going forward will be in charge of future development on the Warface franchise.

"The development team of Warface has always inspired us," said Crytek's CEO Avni Yerli. "To go independent in order to enable a closer partnership with the game's publisher is a strategic move, which we all agree is best for the future of the game. At the same time, this reorganization will allow us to focus on our own core IPs and long-term plans."

Warface is currently published by My.com in North America and Europe. My.com had previously published the game from launch in Russia and other nearby regions. Prior to the switch, Warface was published in North America and Europe by a partnership between Trion Worlds and Crytek.

"It was a tough decision to leave Crytek after all these years, but sometimes you need change to evolve," Khaimzon said. "It's very important for us to focus on developing Warface in a way that lives up to players' expectations. We have kept the development team intact, and their expertise will allow us to move forward with our plans and ideas. Yet we're very thankful to Crytek for all the great years together and for their commendable support of this move."