Crystal Dynamics, known for Tomb Raider and Perfect Dark, reduces workforce while assuring ongoing projects remain on track.

Tomb Raider, Soul Reaver and Perfect Dark developers Crystal Dynamics are laying off 17 “talented team members” in order “to better align our current business needs and the studio’s future success”. According to a social media statement, they “did not take this decision lightly”. Oh, and “this change does not alter our current project plans.”

It’s not clear who exactly has lost their jobs, but going by this Xitter post, senior combat designer Mark Vernon is one of them. “Call me Mark S the way I just got severed, from employment,” he writes. Best of luck finding your way to the black elevator hall, Mark V. (If you haven’t watched Severance, I promise this reference is more hopeful than it sounds.)

Crystal’s current projects include a new Tomb Raider game, collaborations with Aspyr on various Tomb Raider and Legacy Of Kain remasters, and a collaboration with The Initiative on a reboot of Rare’s Perfect Dark. The latter seems promising – reminiscent of Eidos Montreal’s Deux Ex games in its blend of gadgetry and improvisation.

“Cor, when was the last time a big new first-person game looked to have this kind of systemic flexibility,” wrote Graham last year. “I’m partly just relieved to see a game trailer that looks like a game, and not a cutscene that looks years away from being playable. Although, notably, there was no release date at the end of this gameplay trailer, not even a year.”

Not much is known about the new Tomb Raider, which is being published by Amazon Games, and was announced prior to Crystal’s acquisition by Embracer – the poster child for games industry layoffs since the lifting of Covid lockdown measures.

Embracer announced plans last year to split themselves three ways in order to make more focussed use of the companies and brands scooped up during their earlier, feckless period of expansion. Right now, the Tomb Raider license is in the hands of one of these corporate spin-off entities, Middle-earth Enterprises.

Hope everybody leaving Crystal Dynamics this week finds safe, rather than cold, harbour elsewhere. Yes, this is another Severance reference. I apologise if I’m being gauche.