Today, Kotaku reportedthat Crytek is indeed having financial troubles, opposite to their refusal of bankruptcy.
In Kotaku’s report, their sources claim that Crytek is not paying their employees on time, and the sequel for Ryse: Son of Rome, the Xbox One exclusive launch title, has been dropped. Kotaku’s sources say that, on top of having trouble paying their employees, Crytek has also been losing staff slowly since March. Current and former staff talked about the situation at Crytek, saying that the work environment is tense and unstable with poor communication and a “number of high level staff departures.” Apparently, Crytek’s situation is so morbid, the staff openly talk about leaving or finding a new job. One employee even guesses that as much as 100 employees have left Crytek over the last 3 months.
The “rumors” of Crytek’s financial woes were first talked about last week, and Crytek responded over the weekend, denying the rumors of financial trouble.
Kotakusays “Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in touch with ten current and former employees at the independent game developer. I’ve also spoken to a handful of people who have talked to current Crytek employees. All of these sources, speaking anonymously in order to protect their careers, describe a company that has been frequently missing payments and regularly assuring employees that everything will be fixed in the future, only to continue sending out checks late.
“In conversations, employees expressed a great deal of frustration with the lack of communication within Crytek’s studios. One odd company mandate, according to four current employees, was that nobody could talk about salary issues via e-mail, presumably to prevent anyone from leaking that there have been problems. Almost all conversations about payment issues at Crytek’s studios are handled in person, which is one reason it’s taken so long for me to report this story, after first hearing rumblings way back in March.”
More statements from former and current employees of Crytek can be found, one saying that “trying to confine the problem rather than tackling it is not the way to go about this anymore; it’s too big now,” the employee went on to explain “Honest communication, inclusion, and a work environment based on trust could have gone a long way, and may have stopped people from leaving.”
Another Crytek employee told Kotaku over email that “Suddenly the direction everyone saw us go in was not that clear anymore. It was obvious that we didn’t have any big time publishers at our back to finance our development… A lot of people started to get frustrated then [Some began looking for a new job], as the strategy was not clear to the employees.”
So, what does everyone think about this? Are you worried about Crytek? Do you think these rumors hold any truth? Leave your thoughts below. And remember, stay tuned to Gamer Headlines for all of your Crytek and gaming news!