CryEngine V adopts a pay what you want business model, gets enhanced DX12 and VR support

Crytek announced its next-gen game engine at GDC. CryEngine V will feature better support for DirectX 12 and offers extended support for virtual reality hardware. One of the interesting things is that the new engine is offered under a "pay what you want" business model, it will be offered free of charge for commercial projects with no obligation to pay royalties or service charges.

As the 2016 Game Developers Conference gets underway, Crytek has announced the arrival of CRYENGINE V – the most accessible, powerful, and feature-filled version of their all-in-one development solution to date.

CRYENGINE V launches today with a “Pay What You Want” business model, offering developers everywhere total access to the engine’s feature-set and full engine source code for a fee of their choosing, and with no obligation to pay royalties or additional service charges. Users who decide to make a contribution for utilizing CRYENGINE V can allocate up to 70% of the sum to Crytek’s new Indie Development Fund – a grant program that will see Crytek directly supporting promising indie projects around the world.

The latest evolution of CRYENGINE also introduces CRYENGINE Marketplace. The Marketplace will enable developers to access individual assets from Crytek’s own library, as well as thousands of materials, sounds, and 3D objects created by the CRYENGINE community and other trusted vendors.

Crytek’s Founder, CEO & President, Cevat Yerli, said: “CRYENGINE V represents our commitment to not only offering developers today’s most advanced engine technology, but also to making it as accessible as possible. The arrival of CRYENGINE Marketplace, the revamped engine UI, and new support channels will make it easier than ever to tap into the power of CRYENGINE – at a price that feels comfortable for each and every individual. Community is at the heart of our Pay What You Want Model, which we hope will foster closer collaboration between us and developers as well as developers amongst themselves.”

In addition, CRYENGINE V brings expanded support for today’s leading Virtual Reality hardware. Crytek’s engine will now equip users to create stand-out VR experiences for PlayStation VR, OSVR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

CRYENGINE V also introduces:

C# Enabled: A new API that allows developers who know C# to start scripting in CRYENGINE V right away.

Reworked Low Overhead Renderer: Significantly increases the performance of today’s hardware in graphically intensive applications.

DirectX 12 support: Utilize the latest branch of DirectX to take greater control of hardware resources.

Advanced Volumetric Cloud System: Optimized for VR to give clouds full 3D spatial rendering for higher quality with minimal performance hit.

New particle system: Create stunning real-time fluid effects, handled almost entirely on the GPU.

A new launcher and UI: Navigate CRYENGINE more intuitively thanks to a streamlined UI which includes realigned features and new icon groupings.

FMOD Studio support: Allowing greater flexibility in audio middleware selection.

CRYENGINE Answers: A dedicated channel where the CRYENGINE community can share questions and answers.