Crytek, the studio known for its proprietary CRYENGINE game engine and the Crysis trilogy of military sci-fi shooters, is making layoffs. Out of about 400 employees, 15%, or about 60 people, will be laid off.
In a statement on social media, the studio noted that, like many other companies in the industry, it is facing difficult market conditions and is therefore forced to make cuts.
At the same time, the announcement revealed that in the third quarter of 2024, the studio paused the development of the fourth part of Crysis, announced in early 2022. Crytek is focusing all its efforts on the extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896, which continues to grow.
"While Hunt: Showdown 1896 is still growing, Crytek cannot continue as before and remain financially stable. Even after ongoing efforts to reduce costs and cut operating expenses, we have determined that layoffs are inevitable to move forward," the studio said in a statement.
The studio notes that it will continue active development of Hunt: Showdown 1896 and the CRYENGINE engine, but did not mention the future of Crysis 4. At the same time, VGC noted that Matthias Engstrom, the former Hitman 3 director hired by Crytek to work on Crysis 4, left the studio in November 2024 and returned to IO Interactive. This makes the fate of the fourth installment of the popular series even more uncertain.