Crytek in Crisis: Shuts Down Five Studios; To Focus on Premium IPs and CryEngine

Fresh reports have been circulating of Crysis and Warface developer Crytek’s financial difficulties. This has led to employees not being paid their salaries for months on end and leaving the company. The company has broken silence on the entire matter now.

For starters, all studios except for Frankfurt and Kiev will be shut down. This means Crytek’s studios in Bulgaria, Budapest, Istanbul, Seoul, and Shanghai will be closed. The company will focus on development at Frankfurt and Kiev studios to “continue to develop and work on premium IPs” according to a prepared statement. The Cryengine — tech responsible for the company’s early successes will be a core pillar of its strategy going forward.

(Also see: Disney Shuts Down Development at Indiagames)

Crytek Co-Founder and Managing Director, Avni Yerli, said: “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.”

(Also see: EA Shuts Down SimCity Maker Maxis Emeryville)

Since releasing Crysis and Crysis Warhead, the company has struggled to see success to match the level of these titles. The last two games released by the company were The Climb for Oculus Rift and Robinson: The Journey for PS VR.