How a talented programmer practically bluffed his way into the games industry, and why Crytek has not yet fulfilled its potential.

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Crytek thrives on hyperbole. It is a developer known for pulling game technology forward, for being one of a handful of companies that will push the most powerful gaming machine to its limits.

Dino Dini

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Cevat Yerli

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Faruk, Cevat and Avni Yerli in 2013

Economy of effort

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The bill comes due

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Their 1999 trip to LA was a comedy of errors. First, immigration officials stopped them in London's Heathrow Airport. Avni says that, due to their Turkish citizenship, they lacked the appropriate visas to travel to the United States. A friendly Lufthansa agent was somehow able to get them onto their flight to New York. When they finally arrived in Los Angeles, there were no hotel rooms. After a full day burning gas in their rented Buick, they allowed themselves to be gouged by the staff of the Figueroa Hotel. Their reward was three cots in a windowless storage room deep in the bowels of the hotel. As if that wasn't bad enough, the next morning E3 staff charged them each a $250 registration fee to gain entrance to the E3 floor. When they finally set foot inside the LA Convention Center, the three brothers were practically broke. Dressed in fancy European suits, the trio stood out like a sore thumb. Dressed-down developers and members of the media wearing shorts and T-shirts looked at them suspiciously. As they moved from booth to booth, no one took them seriously. Cevat was angry.

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Avni, Faruk and Cevat Yerli in Crytek's early days

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Redemption

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Crytek created sculptures of Redemption's main characters in the game's early concept stages.

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Editing: Russ Pitts, Matt Leone
Design / Layout: Warren Schultheis, Matthew Sullivan
Images: Crytek, Tom Connors, Jimmy Shelton