Crytek, the renowned developer behind the iconic *Crysis* series and the popular *Hunt: Showdown*, has announced a significant round of layoffs affecting 60 of its 400 employees. This move comes as a response to challenging market dynamics within the gaming industry, which have forced the company to take drastic steps to ensure financial sustainability.
In a recent tweet, Crytek revealed that despite the growth of *Hunt: Showdown*, the company could no longer "continue as before and remain financially sustainable." The decision to lay off 15% of its workforce was described as "inevitable," following efforts to reduce costs and operating expenses. The layoffs have impacted staff across various development teams and shared services, with Crytek committing to providing severance packages to those affected.
Crytek founder Avni Yerli issued a full statement, acknowledging the difficulty of the decision and expressing appreciation for the hard work of the company's talented teams. The statement also highlighted that the development of *Crysis 4* was put on hold in late 2024, with efforts made to shift developers over to *Hunt: Showdown 1896*. Despite these efforts, the layoffs were deemed necessary to move forward.
Yerli emphasized Crytek's belief in the company's future, particularly with *Hunt: Showdown 1896*, which continues to grow. Crytek remains committed to expanding and evolving this game with new content while also advancing its engine, CRYENGINE.
Last year, it was revealed that Crytek had been working on a battle royale-inspired project codenamed *Crysis Next*. Early gameplay footage surfaced on YouTube, showcasing third-person shooting in a basic warm-up arena with trademark *Crysis* abilities and sound effects. However, *Crysis Next* was never officially announced and was ultimately canceled in favor of *Crysis 4*, which was announced in January 2022.
The *Crysis* series is celebrated for its first-person sci-fi shooter gameplay, stunning visuals, and innovative nanosuit powers. The original game, released in 2007, became a benchmark for PC performance, leading to the popular phrase, "But can it run Crysis?" This catchphrase became a standard measure of a computer's capabilities in the years following the game's release.
The last mainline entry, *Crysis 3*, was released in February 2013. Since then, Crytek has released remasters of the original games, but fans have been eagerly awaiting updates on *Crysis 4* since its announcement and teaser three years ago.
