Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics announces layoffs

Crystal Dynamics, the California-based developer best known for the rebooted Tomb Raider, has announced a round of layoffs in order to "better align our current business needs."

The details:

• The studio confirmed the cuts in a post to X, revealing that 17 employees had been let go. “This morning, Crystal Dynamics made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 17 talented team members,” the developer wrote. “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.”

• It is unclear which areas of the company have been affected, but Crystal Dynamics has stated that the layoffs will not affect any of its current projects.

• The studio is currently working on a new Tomb Raider game, but little has been revealed about the title other than some concept art depicting protagonist Lara Croft wearing her classic PS1-era outfit. Aside from Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics is assisting in the development of Xbox's Perfect Dark reboot, which was revealed last year.

• This is the second round of layoffs at the developer since Embracer Group acquired it from Square Enix in 2022. Embracer announced in September 2023 that it had cut a number of positions on the studio's marketing and IT teams as part of its wider cost-cutting program.

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• Game Informer has relaunched after being shut down by GameStop last year, with the original team returning after Off the Grid developer Gunzilla Games acquired the rights to the long-running publication.