Crytek has just teamed up with universities yet again for their technology, CryENGINE 3. Their goal is simple: get them hooked.

Develop Online recently managed to get a little chit-chat out of Carl Jones, Crytek's director of global business development, and talked about where the future lies for the guys who brought us the visually stunning Crysis. The answer lies with online gaming and the home consoles, and that's exactly where the powerhouse CryENGINE 3 will be putting on a show. More after the jump.

A lot of people think that the year 2012 is significant. Some think the world's going to end by then. People in the games industry, on the other hand, think that it will be a beginning instead of an end: the beginning of the next console cycle. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli is one of those who believe that 2012 is when the next generation of game consoles will start showing up. *UPDATE* Two demo videos have surfaced from GamesCom 2009.

Thanks, Peter Bauer!

2010 seems to be a new slate for most video game companies, as upcoming blockbuster games such as Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain and Bayonetta won't make it out this year as planned. Now you can add one more title to the list, the heavily anticipated Crysis 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC).

In an effort to make their nation violent videogame-free, 16 German Interior Ministers have moved to ask the Bundestag (the equivalent of parliament in Germany) for a total ban on violent video games. If approved, this won't be just your average banhammer - this is a national banhammer that even goes as far as prohibiting violent game development in the country.

Electronic Arts and Crytek are partnering up to bring the next Crysis game to home consoles so you don't have to sell your kidney to get a powerful enough PC to play it.

The acquisition by Crytek seems to be going great for Free Radical, er, Crytek UK. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has revealed that they've pretty much given the developer free reign in what projects they're pursuing.

It was September of last year when Cevat Yerli, Crytek CEO, announced that they were in fact already preparing for the next cycle of consoles. This announcement was coupled with his prediction that the next consoles race will by on by 2011 or 2012. What was interesting at that time was that he said that they are gearing up for the PS4 with their CryEngine 3. At the GDC 09 today, jaws dropped as Crytek presented the demo for CryEngine 3. Watch the vid after the jump to see what the fuss is all about:

Here's another development in Crytek's purchase of Free Radical Design. After Rob Yescombe and ReSolve Partners confirmed the sale, it's now Crytek's turn.

Apart from confirming their purchase of the Haze and TimeSplitters developer, Crytek also revealed that Free Radical will be renamed Crytek UK.

As it turns out, neither Codemasters, Monumental, or those interested companies outside the video game industry were able to buy Free Radical Design. Instead, Germany-based Crytek was the one who ponied up the cash to get their hands on the Haze and TimeSplitters developer.