Ubisoft, one of the world?s largest video game publishers and Crytek announced two rising stars of game development have joined the already talented Far Cry? development team. The game?s next phase in development will focus on multiplayer excellence, and leading development is Chris Auty as lead multiplayer level designer and Richard Tsao as the multiplayer producer for the game. Auty and Tsao are tasked with developing a compelling multiplayer experience as innovative as the spectacularly deep single-player game. Far Cry is a first-person shooter set in a lush tropical paradise that sets out to bring the first-person shooter to an entirely new level of entertainment and technical excellence. The expansive plans to Far Cry?s unique multiplayer modes and lightning-fast online play have extended its development period to Q1 2004. Auty joins the Far Cry team with an impressive resumé of FPS experience. As a leader within the FPS community, he is probably best known for his distinctive map designs, especially within the Counter Strike culture. Auty is famed from his design of the ?Inferno? and ?Aztec? maps in Counter Strike. His influence is evident in the development of some of the most prolific shooting games ever created. He led design teams for Half-Life: Counter Strike and James Bond 007: Nightfire, and has contributed to Half-Life: Day of Defeat, Counter-Strike and Condition Zero. Auty brings his considerable shooter experience and distinguishing design techniques to Far Cry?s already visually stunning scenery and technically advanced gameplay. ?I came to Far Cry to work on the next great shooter; the team here at Crytek has raised the quality bar in terms of visuals, gameplay and AI standards of a FPS game,? said Auty. ?Far Cry?s engine is amazingly adaptive to new types of gameplay, making designing multiplayer levels one of my best creative experiences to date.? Richard Tsao joins as Far Cry?s multiplayer producer following a string of successful projects, including leading the teams for Asheron?s Call 2, Dungeon Siege and MechWarrior 4. Tsao brings his successful formula to the production of Far Cry?s multiplayer and mod community support. ?In regards to technology, everyone will remember Far Cry as the game that introduced the next wave of ?must have? FPS features,? said Tsao. ?People will undoubtedly credit Far Cry for driving the genre forward.? Far Cry features non-scripted AI, unmatchable view distance and is set on a beautiful tropical island with the lushest terrain ever seen in a FPS. Additionally, the game?s stunning graphics, freely explorable indoor and outdoor environments, authentic physics-on-demand, variety of gameplay, and universally acclaimed pick-up-and-play level editor will set new benchmarks in the genre. For more information, please visit: www.farcry-thegame.com.