Crytek is Undergoing a Transition to a “Stable Future”, and Is Shutting Down Five Out of Seven Studios
After we reported earlier this month that Crytek employees have allegedly not been paid in around six months, news broke via press release that the struggling German company would be closing most of its studios. Crytek states that they will focus on their studios in Frankfurt and Kiev, while the ones in Bulgaria, China, South Korea, Turkey, and Hungary would be shut down. Before these lay offs, the company had around 700 employees.
This is due to the company restructuring itself around “its core strengths of developing innovative games and game-development technology”. In wake of the lay offs, Crytek states that its management has plans in place to assist previous employees in obtaining new jobs in the industry.
According to the press release, Crytek will “continue to develop and work on premium IPs”, with the CryEngine remaining a main focus in the company. Managing Director and co-founder Avni Yerli said that the they will concentrate on “world-class developers, state-of-the-art technology and innovative game development” to direct the company towards success in the future.
Crytek is best known for its Crysis franchise and the CryEngine, with its most recent major release being Ryse: Son of Rome. We here at COGconnected offer our best wishes to the employees impacted by this restructuring in finding new work in the industry.