Crytek Close Studios Amid Financial Troubles

"But can it run Crysis?" That used to be the stock response to anyone showing off a swanky new PC. The shooter was the standard by which gaming systems were judged, thanks to their advanced graphical engine. Unfortunately, the company have hit a number of road bumps since then, resulting in a downsizing two years ago that saw them sell off their UK division.

Sadly, things have not got any better and the company are now focussing purely on the CRYENGINE, which went essentially free to use a few months ago, as well as their Frankfurt and Kiev Studios. The other development studios are not being sold off, but instead they are being closed, with Crytek attempting to secure jobs for their staff where possible. With so many staff affected and rumours of unpaid salaries, lay offs are looking regrettably likely.

Crytek Co-Founder and Managing Director, Avni Yerli, said: “Undergoing such transitions is far from easy, and we’d like to sincerely thank each and every staff member – past and present – for their hard work and commitment to Crytek. These changes are part of the essential steps we are taking to ensure Crytek is a healthy and sustainable business moving forward that can continue to attract and nurture our industry’s top talent. The reasons for this have been communicated internally along the way. Our focus now lies entirely on the core strengths that have always defined Crytek – world-class developers, state-of-the-art technology and innovative game development, and we believe that going through this challenging process will make us a more agile, viable, and attractive studio, primed for future success.”

This announcement will see development teams in Budapest, Bulgaria, Istanbul, Seoul, Shanghai, and Sofia potentially out of jobs. Unfortunately, it's not entirely unexpected as rumours have been circulating about unpaid workers for a little while now. Our sympathies go out to those affected and we hope they can make a swift return to coding.