Tomb Raider developers Crystal Dynamics have announced their fourth round of layoffs in 12 months. A total of 20 staff across development and central operations roles have been let go this time, with Crystal Dynamics emphasising they’re still “fully committed” to Tomb Raider: Catalyst and Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis.
In March last year, 17 Crystal Dynamics staffers were given their marching orders, with an unspecified number of others being let go in August, and “just under 30” following in November.
Given all that bloodletting, it’s no surprise the studio were keen to emphasise that they “never make these decisions lightly, particularly after the restructuring we underwent last year” in the LinkedIn post announcing their latest layoffs.
“As our current projects move into new phases of development, we continuously take a hard look at our team structures to ensure they align with our long-term studio goals,” Crystal Dynamics wrote. “While we always strive to transition our people into new roles whenever possible, we have unfortunately reached a point where these departures are necessary. We are incredibly grateful for the passion and hard work these individuals have poured into our games and our studio.” The studio added that affected staff will be provided severance pay and assistance in finding a new job, encouraging those with openings to reach out.
Finally, Crystal Dynamics declared that they remain “fully committed” to developing next Tomb Raider entry Catalyst and original Tomb Raider remake Legacy Of Atlantis, both of which were revealed last December.
Solidarity and best of luck to all those affected by these layoffs at Crystal Dynamics. Here’s hoping the Embracer Group-owned studio can stop chucking people’s livelihoods into the sun soon.
