Crytek, the renowned game developer behind the Crysis series, has announced a significant round of layoffs affecting 60 of its 400 employees. This move comes as the company faces challenging market dynamics and strives to maintain financial sustainability. In a recent tweet, Crytek acknowledged that despite the growth of their popular game, Hunt: Showdown, the company could not continue its previous operational model.

Crytek had previously put Crysis 4 on hold in late 2024 and shifted focus towards Hunt: Showdown in an effort to reduce costs and operating expenses. Despite these efforts, layoffs became "inevitable," impacting 15% of the workforce across various development teams and shared services. Crytek has committed to providing severance packages to those affected by the layoffs.

In a detailed statement, Crytek founder Avni Yerli expressed the difficulty of the decision, emphasizing the company's appreciation for its talented teams. He noted that while Hunt: Showdown 1896 continues to grow, the layoffs were necessary to ensure the company's future viability. Crytek remains dedicated to Hunt: Showdown 1896 and plans to expand and evolve the game with new content, alongside advancing their engine, CRYENGINE.

Last year, early gameplay footage of a battle royale-inspired Crysis project, codenamed Crysis Next, surfaced on YouTube. The footage showcased third-person shooting in a basic arena, incorporating the series' signature abilities and sound effects. However, Crysis Next was never officially announced and was eventually canceled in favor of Crysis 4, which was announced in January 2022.

The Crysis series, known for its groundbreaking visuals, unique nanosuit powers, and open-ended gameplay, started with the first game in 2007. This initial release became a benchmark for PC performance, famously leading to the catchphrase, "But can it run Crysis?" which became a standard for evaluating PC specifications. The most recent mainline entry, Crysis 3, was released in February 2013. While Crytek has released remasters of the original games in recent years, updates on Crysis 4 have been scarce since its announcement and teaser three years ago.