Deep Silver announced earlier today that they have acquired the rights for the Homeland franchise in the wake of the recent troubles at Crytek. Development on the latest title in the series, Homefront: The Revolution, will be shifted to the newly formed Deep Silver Dambuster Studios.
In a press release issued today, Koch Media, which is the parent company of Deep Silver, CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz commented on the acquisition of the property.
“We are thrilled to see another great IP joining the Deep Silver universe. We strongly believe in the potential of Homefront: The Revolution and trust in the new team to continue the path they have been walking in the last years.”
According to the press release, the acquisition includes the Homefront brand and all assets associated with the property. Neither Koch Media or Crytek were willing to discuss the specifics of the deal at this time.
While Deep Silver is continuing full speed ahead with development on Homefront: The Revolution, things are a little less pleasant for Crytek. Over the past few months, rumors have been swirling regarding the dire financial situation of the company, as tales of unpaid wages and halted development spread through the internet. Things didn’t get better today either, as even with the selling of the Homefront property, Crytek announced that two of its studios would be hit by layoffs.
The first of the two studios to experience layoffs would be the team at Crytek UK, who had been handling the development duties on Homefront: The Revolution. Formerly known as Free Radical, Crytek UK had previously provided assistance on both Crysis 2 and Crysis 3. The other studio affected was Crytek USA, which was formerly known as Vigil Games. The studio’s current project, Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, will now be finished by the team at Crytek Frankfurt.
We will continue to have more information on Homefront: The Revolution and the future of Crytek when it becomes available, so stay tuned.