Former Crytek veteran Ury Zhilinsky has joined Firefall developer Red 5 as senior graphics programmer to help the company develop its upcoming game in addition to a new, unannounced project.
While working at Crytek in Germany, Zhilinsky worked as a senior R&D graphics programmer and R&D manager, developing engine tech for studio's multiplatform shooter Crysis 2 and CryEngine 3.
Red 5 says it hopes to hire even more programmers to work on Firefall (pictured), a free-to-play shooter and MMO hybrid, as well as a new project based on "cloud server technology," dubbed "Stage 5."
"We’re still a relatively small team here at Red 5 Studios because we’ve been very selective when choosing 'tribe' members," said Red 5 CEO, Mark Kern. "It's not just about talent, it's about what happens when you put together a group that shares the same commitment to quality, community, and fun. Ury's skill and experience make him an asset that any team would be happy to have, but it’s his development philosophy that makes him a fit for the 'tribe.'"
Earlier this year, Red 5 settled a long-running legal dispute with Korean firm Webzen, with the companies no longer working together to bring Firefall to Asia.
In July, Red 5 announced that Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card is set to write the story for Firefall, in addition to an accompanying manga novel.
