The specific skill set crytek game engine devs have is increasingly in demand, which will continue to grow. Specifically, the ability to write highly optimised

The specific skill set crytek game engine devs have is increasingly in demand, which will continue to grow. Specifically, the ability to write highly optimised code (mostly C++) to parallel process large amounts of data on GPUs. If I were running one of the machine learning divisions in MS, Google et. al. I would be combing through linked-in and firing up the headhunters right about now. The alternative is, of course, company acquisition. You're not really buying the IP in this case (although its a nice side bonus), you're 'buying' the dev talent in one big company-sized package.