"The game developers and the gamers…they are getting more and more close together," Cevat Yerli tells Edge in a quiet room tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Games Convention Asia in Singapore.
 
He's excited because Crytek has launched a new community site, called MyCrysis.  And this is because he's convinced that people identify the game more with the developer.
 
"In the past the publisher was the label," Yerli says.  Publishers support it, even going so far as to create their own developer brands internally, because any developer will have more mindshare with gamers.
 
"I think communities should be developed based on the gamer," is the conclusion that Yerli has drawn.  "Around the gamer, actual, not around the company."
 
Which is pretty radical stuff.  One can almost imagine publishers reacting with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.  Fear, perhaps.  But Yerli doesn't think so.  "I think the open-minded publishers will see it as an asset, for sure."
 
"To be honest, the ones that want to lead the market have to be open," he says.  "I would think that the top three are open-minded in that regard – because otherwise, they would not be top three."
 
Yerli says that publishers, including EA, understand that they have to adapt to a more open culture to connect to the gamer more.  And he continues by saying that this direct-to-gamer community is derived from the online capability of Crytek's games.  Internet access is widespread, and "the gamers are online, and socially connected now."
 
"For us, that's a major reason to be forefront," and Yerli explains that in the end, the reason developers make games is for an audience – after all, no one wants to make something that no one plays.  "Frankly, community is number one reason we make games, eventually."
 
And now he hopes to utilize that in a more meaningful way for both player and developer.  "We can listen to them, and make better games."
 
There's history of MMO gamers and community.  Even PC users can form communities around a hit FPS.  But Crytek has said that it will be making cross-platform games.  Does Yerli think his new community will work on console gamers?  "That's something that will grow, certainly.  I think we have to cultivate a community that's cross-platform."
 
Will an organized community help with pre-sales?  "It may, it may not," Yerli responds, adding, "I think it will help to have a fan-base that evangelizes for you."
 
It's hard to talk about thousands of gamers, registered as fans for a company, and not begin to wonder about digital distribution possibilities.  "That's always a big opportunity, of course."
 
So has Crytek looked at digital distribution?  "Yeah, we have been looking at it for three years now.  And rest assured, we have not been standing still."

- Evan Van Zelfden