Crysis 4 ‘On Hold’ as Developer Crytek Announces Layoffs Affecting Up to 60 Staff

Crytek Announces Layoffs Affecting 15% of its Workforce

Gaming developer Crytek has announced a difficult decision to lay off approximately 60 employees, representing 15% of its 400-person staff. The layoffs, affecting both development teams and shared services, are a result of challenging market conditions and the need to ensure the company's long-term financial stability.

In a statement released by Crytek founder Avni Yerli, the company cited the current unfavorable market dynamics as a primary factor. While the popular title Hunt: Showdown continues to grow, Crytek stated that maintaining its current operational structure was no longer financially sustainable. Following the decision to postpone development of Crysis 4 in Q3 2024 and subsequent efforts to reallocate staff to Hunt: Showdown, cost-cutting measures proved insufficient to prevent layoffs. Crytek will provide severance packages and career support to affected employees.

Yerli emphasized Crytek's continued commitment to Hunt: Showdown, highlighting its strength as a gaming service and promising ongoing content updates. The company also reaffirmed its dedication to the CRYENGINE.

The announcement follows previous reports of a canceled Crysis Next project, a battle royale-inspired title that was scrapped in favor of Crysis 4, which was announced in January 2022. The Crysis franchise, known for its visually stunning graphics and demanding system requirements, has not seen a new mainline entry since Crysis 3 in 2013. While remasters of earlier titles have been released, news regarding Crysis 4 has been scarce since its initial announcement.