Crytek working with DeNA to develop F2P mobile game

Newsbrief: Crytek confirmed today that it's working with Japanese mobile powerhouse DeNA to produce The Collectables, a free-to-play shooter for iOS and Android. It's worth noting that this is the first time Crytek's engine technology will be used to power a free-to-play mobile game, though it's not the first CryEngine-powered mobile game Crytek's worked on. That honor is reserved for last year's memorable Fibble - Flick 'n' Roll. Given that DeNA has been reporting significant financial returns from its third-party titles, especially in Western markets, this partnership with a big-name Western PC developer makes a bit of sense. Crytek in turn has been expanding into Asia -- the company partnered with Nexon to bring its free-to-play shooter Warface to Japan earlier this year -- and this partnership seems likely to expedite that process. Players can expect to spend the lion's share of their time with The Collectables commanding a small squad of soldiers running and gunning their way across a 3D battlefield. There will also be some sort of upgrade system and rewards to unlock, though you can probably spend a little money to speed up the process. The Collectables is predicted to release sometime in 2014. You can keep abreast of its development -- and net yourself an exclusive verison of one of the in-game characters -- by pre-registering for an account on the game's website.