Crytek has seven studios, military contracts

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has said the reason the company has been able to expand so rapidly in the past few years - enough to have seven studios under its umbrella - is due to its "secretive engine business".

First rule of Crytek: We don't talk about the seventh studio

Speaking in an interview with Gamasutra, Yerli said the company licenses its CryEngine to more than just game developers.

"Part of [the reason for company growth] is that we have a very good secretive engine business," he said. "We have some other contracts going on as well for some other non-game industries. From that perspective, it's been a good, privileged position to be able to do that and also work on our own IPs.

"Working with a partner like EA also brings in funds. Our most recent game is signed up with Microsoft as well, which helps us bring in finances to develop technology and awesome games.

"Since March, we've been doing very well with [CryEngine 3].

"There is a whole industry in serious games, and we have a lot of contracts going on from gas and oil companies, General Electric, all the way to SOCOM.

"We have a lot of military companies working with our technology, in fact. Technologies, simulations, contract work, whatever they need and whatever they want. We have a studio for serious game development. That studio is a subsidiary of Crytek, but it's not called Crytek. It's studio number seven -- so secret I didn't even mention it."

Lots of games in the pipe, but we don't talk about them right now

Yerli goes on to say every studio has its own head of production and management team, and Crytek grew its infrastructure before it started growing in game development itself.

He also said keeping up with all the studios is easier, thanks to focusing on only one game at a time, but it can still be "a challenge to maintain quality everywhere".

"Right now Crysis 2 is the focus, and after that another game," he said. "We have a lot of games in the pipe, but we don't talk about them right now."

Crysis 2 hits the US on March 22, and Europe on March 25 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, and it's been called by Crytek a “choreographed sandbox” title.