After troubling rumours about Crytek not paying employees, the company has announced that it will be shutting down five different studios in order to reshape its priorities towards game development and CryEngine. Though Frankfurt and Kiev will continue to operate, locations like Istanbul, Budapest, Sofia, Shanghai and Seoul will be shut down.
MD Avni Yerli stated that, “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.”
Though Crytek released Robinson: The Journey and The Climb this year, it faced issues last year with the closure of Crytek UK (along with Crytek US being shuttered earlier). As it contemplates its next move, we wish the relieved employees the best in finding future opportunities.