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

Crytek, facing challenging market conditions, announces layoffs impacting 60 employees (15% of its 400-person workforce). The decision, while painful, is deemed necessary for the company's long-term financial health.

In a statement from founder Avni Yerli, Crytek cites the pausing of Crysis 4 development in Q3 2024 and subsequent efforts to transition staff to the growing Hunt: Showdown 1896 as mitigating factors. Despite these cost-cutting measures, layoffs remain unavoidable to ensure sustainability. Affected employees will receive severance packages and career support.

Yerli emphasizes Crytek's continued commitment to Hunt: Showdown 1896, highlighting its strength as a gaming service and the ongoing development of the CRYENGINE.

The announcement follows the previously unannounced cancellation of a battle royale-inspired Crysis project, codenamed Crysis Next, in favor of Crysis 4, which was officially announced in January 2022. The Crysis series, renowned for its visually stunning graphics and demanding system requirements (famously leading to the "But can it run Crysis?" meme), has not seen a new mainline entry since Crysis 3 in 2013. While remasters of earlier titles have been released, details on Crysis 4 have been scarce since its initial reveal. The layoffs affect various development and support teams across Crytek.