Skip to main content

Fans are upset with Crysis Remastered’s graphics, so Crytek is delaying the game

Fans are upset with Crysis Remastered’s graphics, so Crytek is delaying the game

/

Update: A Nintendo Switch version will “still” launch on July 23rd

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Image: Crytek

When Crytek announced that a remaster for the original Crysis would launch this year, fans were excited to see how much the game’s legendary graphics would improve — but a leaked trailer has left so many fans disappointed with the graphical changes that Crytek has now pushed the game’s release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One by several weeks. 

On July 10th, Crytek announced that the Nintendo Switch version will “still” arrive on July 23rd, suggesting that other versions may launch as early as August.

A trailer showing some gameplay and that July 23rd release date was initially leaked on YouTube, and the visuals left a bad taste in some fan’s mouths. Several commented how the game’s graphics remained significantly unchanged from the 2007 original; one fan even said the remaster “looks like original Crysis but with the lowest settings.”

You can decide for yourself if the game looks too similar to a 10+ year-old game:

Crysis, a sci-fi first-person shooter series originally released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, was praised for its graphical design and remained a benchmark for people looking to test the power of their gaming PC builds. (Its graphical fidelity warranted a meme that’s still going 10 years later.) So, when Crytek agreed to remaster the game with “high-quality textures and improved art assets,” and yet would also inexplicably pass the “can-it-run-Crysis” test on a Nintendo Switch, we definitely perked up our ears.

Crytek acknowledged the leaks and the disappointed fans by promising to work on the game a bit more. “This extra time until release will allow us to get Crysis Remastered up to the PC and console-breaking standard you’ve come to expect from Crysis games,” Crytek said in a statement on July 1st. 

In the game industry, it’s not uncommon for games to be delayed once or even multiple times, though it’s rare to delay a game due to backlash from fans. Crysis Remaster’s delay mirrors a similar move made by the film industry last year when Paramount pushed back the release date for the film adaption of Sonic The Hedgehog after it received backlash regarding the design of the titular blue hedgehog. 

Update July 10th, 3:28PM ET: Crytek has now confirmed that Crysis Remastered will launch on the Switch on July 23rd.