Following Far Cry’s release, Crytek, wanting to show that CryEngine had other applications, signed a deal in July 2004 to develop a gaming franchise with publisher Electronic Arts (EA), a direct competitor to Ubisoft. This franchise became the Crysis series, and through which Crytek continued to improve their CryEngine.
The first Far Cry wasn’t developed by Ubisoft like the rest of the franchise. Does anyone know what prompted the franchise changing hands?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Cry#History