With popular franchises like Far Cry and Crysis in its portfolio, Crytek is one of the biggest game developers in Germany – but that could change soon if sixteen interior ministers have their way. Commenting on the country’s current parliamentary attempt to enforce a ban on violent videogames, Crytek president and co-founder Cevat Yerli has said such a move would force the prominent studio to relocate.The proposed ban would not only prevent the sale of violent videogames throughout the country, but also make it illegal for developers to even produce such content. Although having Crytek take its business elsewhere wouldn’t exactly be in Germany’s best interest, the current goal is to pass the proposal into law by September.
Germany has traditionally had strict standards and regulation of what it considers excessively violent video games. All the more so after a recent school shooting in which one FPS fan killed sixteen people, it’s reasonable to believe the Bundestag (the country’s equivalent of Parliament) could back such radical action. In the meantime, a petition against the ban has been signed by over 64,000 Germans, and apparently the government is required to officially review petitions signed by over 50,000 people.
