As with all blockbuster franchises that people generally like (or are at least indifferent toward), the question surrounding the unveiling of next entry in Crytek's rather popular Crysis series wasn't so much one of "if" as "when." The answer? Right now! Sort of.
Though it hasn't been officially announced just yet, Crysis 2 publisher EA inadvertently let the nanotechnology-enhanced cat out of the alien infested bag a tad early last night, putting up a page for the game on the company's Origin system before quickly pulling it down. Not quick enough, however, as the Internet, ever-watching as it is, managed to snag the relevant screenshots before EA went into "pretend this doesn't exist" mode.
The listing has only been verified via screenshot (and the $49.99 price point for all versions listed suggests this was either an inaccurate test page or just a flat-out lie), but the likelihood of the game's existence stems from other evidence as well. CVG teased a major new project from Crytek just a month ago, and Swedish video game magazine Game Reactor has been teasing a cover for its forthcoming issue that would seem to point toward a new Crysis franchise entry.
All of this should, of course, be taken with a grain of salt until EA sends out an official press release of some kind, or at least until someone can verify that Game Reactor cover story. That said, the idea of a Crysis 3 existing isn't exactly hard to believe. Now, if you'd said that Crytek was finally going to be unveiling TimeSplitters 4, then I might have a little trouble believing you. But this? It's practically a foregone conclusion. (Sorry, TimeSplitters fans.)