Crytek lays off 15% of its staff, announces next-gen Crysis 4 is officially on hold

Crytek has just announced that its next-gen Crysis 4 is "on hold" as it lays off 15% of its global workforce, and puts its development focus into Hunt: Showdown 1896.

The developer announced the news in a post on X, saying that "complex, unfavorable market dynamics that have hit our industry these past several years. It pains us greatly to share today that we must lay off an estimated 15% of our around 400 employees".

Not only that, but the developer said "after putting the development of the next Crysis game on hold in Q3 2024" that Crytek has "been trying to shift developers over to Hunt: Showdown 1896". For now, let's hope that Crytek hasn't killed off its new Crysis game and that it's just on hold until the developer is in a better position, but it does NOT feel like good news for the infamous shooter.

Crytek explained: "Like so many of our peers, we aren't immune to the complex, unfavorable market dynamics that have hit our industry these past several years. It pains us greatly to share today that we must lay off an estimated 15% of our around 400 employees. The layoffs affect development teams and shared services. This has not been an easy decision to make, as we deeply appreciate the hard work of our talented teams. After putting the development of the next Crysis game on hold in Q3 2024, we have been trying to shift developers over to Hunt: Showdown 1896".

Crytek continued: "While Hunt: Showdown 1896 is still growing, Crytek cannot continue as before and remain financially sustainable. Even after ongoing efforts to reduce costs and cut operating expenses, we have determined that layoffs are inevitable to move forward. Crytek will offer affected employees severance packages and career assistance services".

"We firmly believe in the future of Crytek. With Hunt: Showdown 1896, we have a very strong gaming service and remain fully committed to its operation. We will continue to expand and evolve Hunt: Showdown 1896 with great content and drive our strategy for our engine CRYENGINE".