We’re back for another round of Inside Crytek: our very own interview series which features different members of the Crytek team. First you can get up close and personal with them, and afterwards you get to ask the questions!

To submit your own questions to this week’s interviewee, simply post them under the link to the article on our Facebook page, GFACE, Crydev, or MyCrysis. We will then forward the best and most original questions, and next week the answers will be posted online.

Part 8 features Nick Button-Brown. Nick is from Liverpool, United Kingdom and has been at Crytek since 2009 – originally starting as a partner in 2003. He has previously worked for EA (9 years) and Eidos, and is the General Manager of Games, meaning he manages the development of Crytek games across all our studios.

Follow Nick on twitter: @nickbuttonbrown

1. Why did you want to work in the games industry and how did you get started?

I loved playing as I was growing up, had drifted away from gaming for a few years, but had started playing again. Ultimately I wanted to work in an industry where I was passionate about what we are producing.

2. Why Crytek?

I’d worked with Crytek for 5 years from the EA side and had a great relationship with Avni, Cevat and Faruk. I loved what Crytek were working on, and the possibilities of what could be delivered in the future, and thought I could help make it happen.

3. What are the best and worst parts of your job?

Best thing is playing the games; I still love watching the games grow and seeing how they evolve. I always get competitive with Cevat when we play, and the teams have learned now to turn off friendly fire, as otherwise we will just hunt each other down.

Worst thing is having to be practical and sensible. I am enthusiastic and excited and push to deliver really revolutionary things, but part of my role is to calm everyone down and make sure we are realistic about what we can do. Sometimes it feels like stealing sweets from a child…

4. What are you working on at the moment?

The teams are working on getting Cryisis 3 finished, which is great fun to play at the moment, on getting Warface ready to launch around the world, continuing the work on Ryse and Homefront 2, new content for Fibble, and a bunch of things we haven’t talked about yet I can’t take any credit for the work though; it is all down to the people in the teams.

5. What music do you listen to at work?

I don’t really listen to music at work; I have to spend too much time talking. I do listen to stuff to and from work while on my bike (yes I know I shouldn’t), mainly podcasts (anything from the BBC) and audio books.

6. What inspires you in your work or in life?

Being proud of what we are working on. I haven’t been able to say that about everything I’ve worked on in my career, so I always want our games to be as good as they can be.

7. What types of games do you like, and what is your favorite game of all time?

A broad mix really; I spend a lot of time on RPGs and MMORPGs (partially because those games take so much time). My favourite game of all time is a hard question, so I’m going to cheat and list a bunch of them: anything from Ultimate on Spectrum, through to NHL 92 as a teen (Score was irrelevant - it was more about the hits), Quake 2 as my first real online game, Championship Manager in the Sports Interactive days, Final Fantasy VII, through to Resident Evil (4 is actually my favourite), shotgunning Zombie Monkeys in Timeplitters 2, GTA Vice City, back online with Battlefield 1942, Burnout Paradise, Mass Effect 2, Batman Arkham Asylum, Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, into Death Rally and Clash of Clans on Mobile.

8. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Being sarcastic and spending time with my kids.

9. Do you have any tips for people wanting to get started in the industry?

The main thing is that you have to care about what you are doing. Don’t come into the industry just to make money, you have to care passionately about what you are doing.


Send us in your questions for Nick and we'll be back soon with answers!