Crytek is laying off 15% of staff, Crysis 4 development now "on hold"

Crysis, the iconic series of sci-fi shooters that began in 2007, has gone without a new installment for 12 years now, and it looks like fans will be waiting for a longer time than anticipated. Developer Crytek today announced some bad news affecting the company and its future projects.

In a statement via social media, Crytek revealed around 15% of its workforce of 400 are being laid off.

"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," said the company. "It pains us greatly to share today that we must lay off an estimated 15% of our around 400 employees."

It doesn't look like troubles had begun recently, as the studio also revealed that Crysis 4 development had been on pause since the third quarter of 2024. The new installment was announced back in 2022 as being in early development, where the studio promised a true "next-gen" shooter.

The studio has shifted developers from the Crysis project over to its ongoing live-service experience Hunt: Showdown 1896. However, even with its ongoing success, the studio hasn't managed to stay out of financial trouble.

"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."

The studio did not say when it expects to return to Crysis 4 development, but its full focus is currently with Hunt: Showdown 1896, saying that the remaining team "remains fully committed to its operation."

The complete Crysis trilogy was remastered in recent years by Crytek too, possibly preparing players for the upcoming entry. Meanwhile, Hunt: Showdown 1896 also dropped last-gen console support last year, with it now only available to play on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.