German publishing and development outfit Crytek have today released a statement that outlines their plans moving forward after another round of late payment and employee dissatisfaction rumours. In the statement Crytek announce that moving forward they will be focusing on their ‘core strengths of developing innovative games and game-development technology’, as well as its CryEngine licensing service. They also revealed that only their studios in Frankfurt and Kiev will remain apart of Crytek while the other five studios in Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, China, and Turkey will be closed. Crytek did mention that they will attempt to help those affected transition into other opportunities.
Although the statement does not address these rumours, it cannot be mere happenstance that Crytek have made this announcement so soon after the reports started to surface. If one good thing is to come from this I hope that Crytek’s HUNT: Horrors of the Gilded Age title drops its free-to-play business model. That is if we ever hear of it again.
We hope that all those affected from the closures are able to find new positions within the industry soon.
You can read the statement in full below:
Crytek today outlined a series of changes to its future business plans that will see the company refocus on its core strengths of developing innovative games and game-development technology.
As part of the changes, Crytek will concentrate on development in its Frankfurt and Kiev studios and continue to develop and work on premium IPs. CRYENGINE will remain a core pillar of Crytek’s overall strategy, with enterprise licensees and indie developers alike continuing to be served by regular engine updates. All other development studios will not remain within Crytek and management has put plans into action to secure jobs and to ensure a smooth transition and stable future.
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.”
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Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts
