Crysis developer to leave Germany if anti-game bill passes
- December 08, 2006 14:27 PM PST
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The Germans sure love their video games, but it seems the German government isn't too fond of them.
After a Columbine-esque attack on a middle school by a former student earlier this year, higher-ups in the German government have become increasingly determined to legislate against not only games, but those who play them.
A recently proposed law would not only make it illegal to create or distribute game content which features "cruel or otherwise inhumane acts of violence against humans or humanlike creature", but players of such games could also be charged.
Obviously, this does not speak well for German game developers or gamers, and has led one well-known studio to speak out. Crytek studios, developer of Far Cry and the upcoming Crysis, is considering leaving Germany for a more welcoming environment. CEO and President, Cevat Yeril, stated that if the German government followed through on its intended legislation, "Perhaps there won't be a Crytek in Germany. That would mean we'd have to get out of here and go elsewhere."
Germany, of course, has had a long history of aversion to violent game content, often requiring a game to remove blood and violence towards humans to be replaced with indistinguishable "ooze" or other fluids as well as zombie or robot enemies.
If Crytek does indeed find Germany a no longer productive environment for game creation, the studio's publishing agreement with EA would undoubtedly help it to find new digs somewhere here in the US, as the company works to complete the highly anticipated Crysis.
Crysis developer Crytek is open to leaving Germany should anti-gaming legislation pass
