Crytek, the renowned game development studio, has announced a significant round of layoffs, impacting 60 out of its 400 employees. In a poignant tweet, the company revealed that despite the growth of their popular game, Hunt: Showdown, they could no longer maintain their previous operational model and remain financially viable. This decision came after the developer had to put Crysis 4 "on hold" in late 2024 and attempted to reassign staff to work on Hunt: Showdown, a move aimed at reducing costs and operating expenses. However, these efforts were not enough to prevent what Crytek described as "inevitable" layoffs, which affected 15% of their workforce across various development teams and shared services. Crytek has committed to providing severance packages to the affected employees.
In a detailed statement, Crytek founder Avni Yerli expressed the gravity of the situation, acknowledging the challenging market dynamics impacting the gaming industry. Yerli emphasized the company's belief in its future, particularly with Hunt: Showdown 1896, which they intend to continue developing and expanding with new content. Crytek also remains committed to their engine, CRYENGINE, as part of their strategic vision.
Last year, it came to light that Crytek had been working on a battle royale-inspired project called Crysis Next, which was showcased in early gameplay footage on YouTube. The footage featured third-person shooting in a basic warm-up arena, incorporating the series' iconic abilities and sound effects. Despite this, Crysis Next was never officially announced and was eventually canceled in favor of Crysis 4, which was announced in January 2022.
The Crysis series is celebrated for its first-person sci-fi shooter genre, known for its stunning visuals, innovative nanosuit powers, and open-ended gameplay. The original Crysis, released in 2007, became a benchmark for PC performance due to its high system requirements, giving rise to the popular phrase, "But can it run Crysis?" This catchphrase became a humorous way to assess the capabilities of PC hardware in the years following the game's release. The most recent mainline entry, Crysis 3, was launched in February 2013. While Crytek has released remasters of the original games in recent years, updates on Crysis 4 have been scarce since its announcement and teaser three years ago.
