Crysis 2 Remastered Screenshot Seemingly Teased

The series of first-person shooters that make up the Crysis franchise debuted in 2007 and was well received by both critics and players. It seems that developer Crytek hopes to revive the entire trilogy, beginning with the release in 2020 of Crysis Remastered, which despite its graphical overhaul, did not meet many players’ expectations.

The negative feedback about Crysis Remastered does not seem to have hindered Crytek’s supposed plans, however. Back in January, a job listing on Crytek's website announced that it was looking for somebody to fill the role of game designer for an unannounced AAA sandbox game. As often happens with development studio job listings, rumors began to fly about what the new game possibly could be, with ideas tossed around about a VR version of Crysis or even titles for a different franchise altogether.

On Thursday, May 20, Crytek dropped two cryptic tweets teasing the possibility of Crysis 2 Remastered, with the first saying simply, “They used to call me Prophet.” This line is taken from a memorable and dramatic moment during the game’s introductory cinematic sequences. The second tweet was an emoji of eyes wide open, hinting that people should be on the lookout for further news. That additional information, this time a screenshot of a soldier wearing a military Nanosuit, was posted today on the official Crysis Twitter account.

The responses to the tweet show that most viewers are interpreting the screenshot as confirmation that Crysis 2 Remastered is in development, and most people seem excited at the prospect. Scanning through reviews of the 10-year-old game on various forums reveals that Crysis 2 was dubbed by many players to have been their favorite title in the series and graphically ahead of its time, with a stunning soundtrack, engaging story, and polished gameplay.

However, if the reception of Crysis Remastered – with its improved lighting, raytracing effects, and 8K textures – revealed anything, it’s that previous high ratings and a graphic overhaul don’t guarantee a good review score. Players expect a corresponding upgrade in gameplay, realistically responsive AI, and a lack of performance issues, which were some of the predominant complaints about Crysis Remastered.

Besides Crysis 2 Remastered, another project that Crytek is rumored to be working on is a battle royale game called Crysis Next. The blurry footage and information about the game came from ostensibly leaked Crytek documents and are as yet unconfirmed. But if they are real, the world of Crysis may be a perfect setting for a battle royale, given its rich lore, diversity of weapons and gear, and an already established fan base.

When the remastered version of Crysis released, it wasn't met with the kind of reception the game got when it released for the very first time so many years ago. Part of the issue is that, while Crysis was a gamechanger back in the day, there are quite a few games that do things very similar, if not better than what it does. However, that doesn't mean Crytek's game has to be left in the dustbin of history. There's another way in which the series could be rejuvenated. There may not be a game out there right now that would be better served to receive its own battle royale version.