Skip to main content

THQ may be bankrupt, but Crytek is still working on Homefront 2

Homefront
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When THQ released first-person shooter Homefront in 2011, it was widely seen as a mediocre title with a few really promising ideas that, for whatever reason, never became fully fleshed out. It was a good attempt by relatively new developer Kaos Studios, and the game’s sales figures ensured that a sequel was all but inevitable.

Sadly for Kaos Studios, THQ was already feeling the pressure that lead to its eventual bankruptcy at that time and the studio was shuttered a mere three months after the release of Homefront. Despite this, THQ still seemed to value the idea of creating a Homefront 2 and tapped Crysis creator Crytek to work on the project. This is crucial as when THQ’s assets hit the auction block yesterday, Crytek stepped in and purchased the rights to Homefront 2 for a cool $500,000. In return for its half-million dollars, Crytek picked up the opportunity to continue development on Homefront 2, a franchise that Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has an immense amount of faith in.

“Since we first reached an agreement to develop Homefront 2, we’ve been firm believers in the IP and its potential to excite and amaze players,” Yerli states in this morning’s official announcement. “Our cooperation with THQ was always positive and we would like to thank them for all their support over the last two years and express our sympathy to those affected by the recent events at the company.”

Development of Homefront 2 will continue at Crytek’s Nottingham, UK studio.

“From day one, the Homefront 2 team has been committed to creating a game that takes the series to new heights and features the level of quality and innovation associated with Crytek,” said Nick Button-Brown, Crytek’s general manager of games. “Nothing has changed with regards our development of the game, and we look forward to sharing the finished product with players.”

There is currently no solid release date for Homefront 2, though we’ll bring you word just as soon as Crytek makes that info public.

Say what you will of the first Homefront, but we’re tentatively excited for the sequel. Crytek knows how to make a gorgeous, entertaining first-person shooter, and while that’ll do nothing to combat the idiotic, implausible premise behind Homefront’s “North Korea invades and subjugates the United States with no warning” storyline, at least the game should have solid mechanics and gorgeous aesthetic design.

Editors' Recommendations

Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
Overwatch 2 is coming to Steam, and more Blizzard games may soon be on the way
Kiriko in Overwatch 2

Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that Overwatch 2 will make its way to Steam on August 10, the same day its next season, titled Invasion, begins.

Overwatch 2 has been available on PC since its October 4, 2022, early access launch, but until now players had to download Blizzard's proprietary launcher, Battle.net, in order to play it. Although players will still need a Battle.net account that they can connect to Steam to play the game online, Overwatch 2 will be fully integrated into Valve's popular launcher, with support for things like achievements, compatibility with Steam friends lists, and Steam game invites. This launch is also timed to happen alongside the start of Season 6: Invasion, which will introduce the first batch of PvE story missions to the game.

Read more
Everybody 1-2-Switch! offers silly multiplayer fun — when it works
People sit on white blocks in a room holding smartphones.

Even if you're a big Nintendo fan who follows the game maker religiously, you might not know that Everybody 1-2-Switch! is launching in three days.

The sequel to the Switch's oddest launch game -- the motion-controlled minigame collection 1-2-Switch! -- has been all but buried by its own publisher. It was surprise revealed only a few weeks ago (late in the evening for East Coasters) with an announcement tweet containing no trailer or real details. The store page for it only contained a single, confusing screenshot of real humans pumping down Joy-Cons on a flat pink backdrop.

Read more
Even in Season 3, Warzone 2.0 still feels like it’s in beta
Two characters from Warzone 2.0 Season 3.

Activision hyped its Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 3 update considerably ,with numerous blog posts showcasing what to expect, along with a content creator call that detailed a slew of highly requested features. Now that the update is live, some members of the game's community are left feeling misled, as Season 3 isn't quite the radical change they were expecting.

While it does include new features and fix some of the sequel's long-standing issues, Warzone 2.0 is still packed with problems -- many of which make the game less approachable. Season 3 is a step in the right direction, but considering just how low the bar was before its release, it's not as impressive as it perhaps needs to be at this stage in the game's life, especially from a massive studio such as Activision.
New toys

Read more