Crytek CEO Bemoans Software Piracy, Claims 20:1 Ratio

In a recent interview, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli blasted the PC industry as "the most intensely pirated market ever." By his own estimation, Yerli believes the sales-to-piracy ratio could be as high as 1 to 20, or in other words, for every videogame legitimately sold, 20 more are illegally downloaded or copied.

Yerli also critiqued certain aspects of Crysis, saying sales were hurt by mislabeling the game's visual quality settings. "Our medium could easily compete with any high, and very high should have been ultra high as a means of futurizing," Yerli commented. And he's probably right, given that Crysis can make even high end rigs cry for mercy when tasked with the highest quality settings and a high resolution. Because of this, Yerli wonders how many gamers have passed over the title waiting for the hardware to catch up.

Expect a less aggressive labeling scheme in Warhead, and though it might be an exercise in futility, Yerli also promises it will be harder to crack.