Crystal Dynamics has laid off an unknown number of workers following the cancelation of Perfect Dark by Microsoft.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Crystal Dynamics confirmed the layoffs, but did not specify the number of people impacted.
“Today we made the very difficult decision to part ways with a number of our talented colleagues as the result of evolving business conditions,” the statement reads. “This decision was not made lightly. It was necessary, however, to ensure the long-term health of our studio and core creative priorities in a continually shifting market.”
The company also confirmed that Tomb Raider, still in development, was unaffected by the decision.
While the statement does not explicitly mention Perfect Dark as the reason behind the layoffs, multiple former workers have posted on social media whose posts and profiles suggest that was the game they were working on. These layoffs seem to be a delayed reaction to Xbox canceling Perfect Dark, which Crystal Dynamics was working on with The Initiative, earlier this year. The Initiative was shuttered at the time of the cancelation, back in July.
Crystal Dynamics was originally brought in to revitalize Perfect Dark after struggles getting the project moving with former co-developer, Certain Affinity. Crystal was later acquired by the Embracer Group in 2022, at which time the studio was revealed to have 273 employees across its Austin, Bellevue, and San Mateo offices. Crystal laid off ten people in 2023, and laid off 17 more people earlier this year. It’s unclear how many remain now.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
