Riven developer Cyan Worlds has minimize its employees rely by half.
In an announcement posted to social media, the Washington studio – maybe greatest identified for the Myst sequence – mentioned “regardless of its greatest efforts”, “business situations” had pressured it right into a “tough spot [where] the month-to-month realities of recreation growth in 2025” left it with no selection however to put off half its staff.
“Right now we wish to share with you some very unlucky information,” the assertion started. “Regardless of our greatest efforts to keep away from it, Cyan has made the tough choice to scale back our total employees dimension – ensuing within the layoff of 12 gifted employees members, roughly half the staff – efficient on the finish of March.
“Business situations have pressured us into a tough spot the place we’re having to weigh the longer term well being of our studio towards the month-to-month realities of recreation growth in 2025. All through the previous yr, we now have been ultra-transparent with your entire Cyan staff concerning the uneven waters we discover ourselves in, in addition to the hazards forward. Whereas the information of a layoff was not a shock to the staff, it was (and is) nonetheless deeply saddening for all of us.”
The studio mentioned it has “finished [its] greatest to pad the touchdown for these affected” with severance packages and is now dedicated to securing funding for its subsequent venture to “restabilise” the studio.
“We have been round for a really very long time, and have been by powerful instances earlier than,” the assertion concluded. “Our honest hope is to proceed to be round, and to supply the varieties of experiences that solely Cyan can ship.”
On the finish of final week, Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics equally made the “tough choice” to layoff 17 “gifted” employees. Within the first quarter of 2025 alone, 1200 recreation builders have misplaced their jobs, on prime of round 14,600 in 2024, and 10,500 in 2023.
