Crytek has announced that Crysis 4 is now on hold as the company undergoes major layoffs, affecting approximately 60 employees, or 15% of its workforce. The decision comes as part of Crytek’s efforts to maintain financial sustainability despite the ongoing success of its multiplayer shooter, Hunt: Showdown 1896.
Workforce Shift to Hunt: Showdown 1896
Some of the developers previously working on the future of Crysis have been reassigned to Hunt: Showdown 1896, which continues to grow in popularity. The game, originally released in 2019, saw a record-breaking peak of over 60,000 concurrent players in August.
Despite this success, Crytek stated that it can no longer “continue as before” and that maintaining its previous course is not financially viable.
Crytek’s Statement on Layoffs
In an official statement, Crytek acknowledged the challenging market conditions affecting the industry:
“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.”
The layoffs impact development teams and shared services. Crytek has offered severance packages to affected employees. The studio had attempted to cut costs and reduce operating expenses, but ultimately deemed layoffs “inevitable.”
The Future of Crysis 4
Announced in 2022, Crysis 4 was described as a “truly next-gen shooter” in a brief teaser video. Crytek had also actively hired new talent to shape the future of the franchise. However, the company has since provided very few updates on the game’s development, leaving its future uncertain.
The last new entry in the Crysis franchise was Crysis 3, released in 2013. While Crytek has released remastered versions of the first three games between 2020 and 2021, no major installment has followed.
Crytek’s Financial Struggles
Despite its reputation for high-quality shooters, Crytek has faced financial difficulties in the past. Reports in 2016 suggested that some employees went months without pay, an issue that also arose in 2014 when then-CEO Cevat Yerli claimed missed payments were necessary to avoid bankruptcy.
Industry-Wide Layoffs Continue
The video game industry at large continues to experience widespread layoffs. Over the past three years, tens of thousands of industry workers have lost their jobs. In the first two months of 2025 alone, nearly 1,000 employees have reportedly been laid off, based on unofficial data.
Key Points
- Crytek has put Crysis 4 on hold and laid off 15% of its workforce (around 60 employees).
- Some affected employees have shifted to work on Hunt: Showdown 1896, which continues to grow.
- Crytek cited financial instability and market challenges as reasons for the layoffs.
- The studio attempted to reduce costs before resorting to layoffs.
- Crysis 4 was announced in 2022, but very few updates have been provided since then.
- Crytek has a history of financial struggles, including missed employee payments in 2014 and 2016.
- The video game industry continues to see mass layoffs, with nearly 1,000 layoffs reported in early 2025 alone.