Crytek Begin Staff Lay-Offs at UK Studio – Can’t Afford Wages

It seems like there’s a bit of a tit for tat battle going on between Crytek and media reporting. It started with German magazine Gamestar reporting that Crytek were on the verge of bankruptcy after their CryEngine had failed to inspire game developers and their new title Ryse had flopped. Crytek then hit back with a public statement denying  their imminent bankruptcy claiming they were based on speculation and were nothing more than rumours. Now it’s the media’s turn again as EuroGamer have managed to grab some fresh information from employees at Crytek. 30 staff have left the Crytek UK studio since the development of their upcoming title Homefront began in 2011 according to a list of names provided. EuroGamer also report high staff turnover because of a failure of Crytek to pay its staff their promised wages and failure to pay them on time.

Internal sources suggest that Crytek could be in serious trouble and on a downhill slope. Suspicions were raised mid last year when Crytek began to withhold staff bonuses, since then wages have been irregular and lower than promised. Staff are rumoured to have only got £600 one month and then £700 the next when their contracted wages were significantly higher. Morale is reportedly low with staff feeling “lost” and having a general distrust of Crytek’s management. Crytek have refused to comment on the latest speculation but one thing is certain: if staff are continually under-paid and kept in the dark about the company’s future the leaks about the internal situation at Crytek will keep on coming.

Stay tuned for more news about Crytek’s future.

Source: Eurogamer

Image courtesy of Crytek