Tomb Raider studio hit with layoffs

Crystal Dynamics has a lot going on right now. Aside from being the primary development force for Xbox's Perfect Dark reboot, the studio is also working on the next installment in the Tomb Raider franchise. Unfortunately, despite all of that, the company has had to undergo another round of job cuts.

In a statement today, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that it has let go of another 17 employees in an effort to “better align current business needs and the studio's future success”. What this likely means is that neither Perfect Dark, nor Tomb Raider, are close to release and without that influx cash from a new game launch, the company needs to make cuts while it continues working on projects.

Here is the full statement: “This morning, Crystal Dynamics made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 17 talented team members. We did not make this decision lightly. Ultimately, this step was necessary to better align our current business needs and the studio’s future success. It is not a reflection of the dedication or ability of those affected. We recognize how painful this outcome is for those impacted and we are supporting them with transition packages and opportunity outreach. Crystal Dynamics remains committed to pushing the boundaries of making great games. This change does not alter our current project plans.”

Crystal Dynamics announced that a new Tomb Raider game was in development last year, with Amazon Games stepping in to publish the title, alleviating some of the financial burden from Embracer Group, a company that has laid off thousands of developers and shut down multiple studios in the last two years due to an irresponsible acquisition spree.

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KitGuru Says: This isn't a mass layoff situation, so this shouldn't have much impact on the projects still in development, but it is still a shame to see talented game developers being let go well into 2025, continuing the spree of industry-wide job-cuts from 2023 and 2024.

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