Crytek financial woes to be solved by licensing deal with Amazon?

Amazon is making a big push into original content, the online shopping giant already has a number of critically acclaimed TV shows and is looking to feature films as well. Now rumors suggest Amazon may be making a serious entry into the gaming market by licensing Crytek's in-house game-building toolset CryEngine 3 for a figure rumored to be between $50-$70 million! The deal would be big enough to pull Crytek out of its financial woes.

There's no word about Amazon's gaming plans but it seems they're planning something a little more thrilling than another Candy Crush or Farmville clone.

In an interview with Develop last month, Crytek co-founder Faruk Yerli referenced a blockbuster deal that he hoped to talk about soon. "It was a huge one, probably the biggest one," he said at the time. "I can't say anything more in detail, but hopefully we'll be able to announce it with the partner soon."

There is no word as to what Amazon plans to do with CryEngine 3, a popular engine used of course for Crytek's own games as well as Evolve, State of Decay, and Star Citizen, among others. The toolset is indeed powerful, as evidenced in this recent CryEngine 3-powered remake of the original BioShock.