After weeks of speculation, at least two separete stories on the Interweb have posted up word that UK developer Free Radical Design has found itself a buyer. 1Up.com reports that Free Radical's scriptwriter Rob Yescombe has told them it's German-based Crytek (the original Far Cry, Crysis and Crysis Warhead) has bought the company. Our sister site Joystiq has also heard the same thing from an anonymous source.

If true (and we expect to hear something official tomorrow) this move would represent only the latest expansion for Crytek. Besides their home office in Frankfurt, they have launched other development studios in the past two years in Kiev, Ukraine, Seoul, South Korea and Budapest, Hungary. They also purchased the former Black Sea Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria and renamed it Crytek Black Sea