Crytek: Developing For Kinect "Really, really easy"

With Kinect still struggling to find its feet, Crytek has stepped up to the mark to prove the motion controller’s viability, but can it make an impact where so few other developers have dared. Turn 10′s Dan Greenawalt has said the industry is still two years away from fully developing Kinect specific genres, but is Ryse the first of many to show that Kinect can please both the casual and the core gamer?

Crytek, fresh from proving just how impressive its CryEngine can look running on the 360 with Crysis 2, has explained why it took up the challenge of Microsoft’s motion controller. With Kinect focused on producing gaming experiences for mainstream audiences, it is Crytek’s Ryse that has become the unofficial champion for the device, delivering something more than a hands-free Wii. To find out why Crytek is investing in Kinect, 360 caught up with Carl Jones, director of Engine Licensing at the studio.

“[Ryse] was a product we wanted to build and it made a great deal of sense to do it with Kinect. We found a partner in Microsoft who shared our vision,” explains Jones. “It’s been really, really easy getting the CryEngine working with Kinect. Microsoft has built it extremely well and it’s easy to use. They’ve given a lot of assistance, both in terms of technical support, samples and hands-on expertise, now we’re trying to push it in new directions to do some clever stuff.”

A natural fit for Kinect, Ryse’s fierce sword-and-shield combat will go a long way to providing the exciting, gory and physical experience many core gamers have been demanding. “It’s not a difficult thing to work with,” jokes Jones, “though it has some limitations, like any piece of technology; you know, you can’t control it with your thoughts!” Though we’d imagine, if Crytek’s tech is on the same shaky ground as Star Wars Kinect seems to be, few will see the funny side.

“This was a game where we had a great meeting of minds and the creatives on both sides believed that the same experience was possible with Kinect,” explains Jones. “We thought, we can do something really ground breaking with the platform.”