Crystal Dynamics, the studio known for its share of modern Tomb Raider titles, is the latest video game developer to get hit by layoffs. The company revealed today that 17 members from its team have been let go to "better align" with its business requirements.
The announcement arrived via a social media post. "This morning, Crystal Dynamics made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 17 talented team members," said the company. "We did not make this decision lightly."
As its primary internal project, the company is said to be building its next-generation Tomb Raider experience. Lara Croft is set to return in an Amazon Games-published title. While not many details have been revealed yet, the game will be single-player, focusing on a fresh storyline that continues from Crystal Dynamics' previous Tomb Raider 'Survivor Trilogy'. It's being developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5.
"We did not make this decision lightly. Ultimately, this step was necessary to better align our current business needs and the studio’s future success. It is not a reflection of the dedication or ability of those affected," Crystal Dynamics added regarding today's layoffs. "We recognize how painful this outcome is for those impacted and we are supporting them with transition packages and opportunity outreach."
Alongside the next Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics is also a co-developer of Perfect Dark, the upcoming single-player spy-thriller experience comes from Xbox's first-party studio, The Initiative. The title's first gameplay trailer landed last year, showing off the reboot of the classic franchise in full and revealing an immersive sim-like direction. Perfect Dark also doesn't have a release date attached to it yet.
The studio added today that the latest layoffs will not affect its current project plans, saying that it "remains committed to pushing the boundaries of making great games."
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