Crytek, the renowned developer behind the Crysis series and Hunt: Showdown, has announced layoffs affecting 60 of its 400 employees. In a tweet, the company cited the need to remain financially sustainable despite the growth of Hunt: Showdown. Crytek had previously put Crysis 4 on hold in late 2024 and attempted to shift staff to Hunt: Showdown to reduce costs and operating expenses. However, these efforts were not enough, and layoffs became "inevitable," impacting 15% of the workforce across various development teams and shared services. Crytek has committed to providing severance packages to the affected employees.

Avni Yerli, the founder of Crytek, released a full statement expressing the difficulty of the decision and acknowledging the challenging market dynamics affecting the industry. He emphasized the company's efforts to move developers from the paused Crysis 4 project to Hunt: Showdown 1896, which continues to grow. Despite these efforts, Yerli stated that further cost reductions were necessary for Crytek to remain financially sustainable. He reaffirmed the company's belief in its future, particularly with Hunt: Showdown 1896, and its commitment to expanding and evolving the game while continuing to develop their engine, CRYENGINE.

Last year, it was revealed that Crytek had been working on a battle royale-inspired Crysis project codenamed Crysis Next. Early gameplay footage, which surfaced on YouTube, showcased third-person shooting in a basic warm-up arena, featuring the series' signature abilities and sound effects. However, Crysis Next was canceled in favor of Crysis 4, which was officially announced in January 2022.

The Crysis series, known for its groundbreaking visuals, innovative nanosuit abilities, and open-ended gameplay, began with the first game in 2007. This initial release was so demanding on hardware that it became a benchmark for PC performance, spawning the popular phrase, "But can it run Crysis?" The last major installment, Crysis 3, was released in February 2013. In recent years, Crytek has released remasters of the original games, but fans have been eagerly awaiting updates on Crysis 4 since its announcement and teaser three years ago.