Crytek is sinking deeper and deeper

MaxBacon · April 2017

Crytek's Shanghai studio closed down after Crytek being kicked by its landlord for not paying rent. It's reported its employees have not been paid for 7 months as well.

This is the 6th Crytek studio shutting down.

The company was reported to have 600 employees last year, now with studios shutting down as they aren't managing to pay their employees, it's unknown how much have they lost by now and if the company will be able to turn this downhill around.

Read here: http://www.tweaktown.com/news/57202/report-crytek-shanghai-studio-closes-due-unpaid-rent/index.html

Asm0deus · April 2017

I never understood the whole "I am going to work even if my boss isn't paying attitude" I mean if the pay is a week late due to some unforeseen banking issues or mess up sure that happens now and then but 7 frigging months with no pay.....

.....so sorry but 2 weeks with no pay and I don't walk back in the door, got bills to pay and I don't have time for scrubs especially considering the ones in charge rarely ever lose out when a company is going down.

MaxBacon · April 2017

Asm0deus said:

I never understood the whole "I am going to work even if my boss isn't paying attitude" I mean if the pay is a week late due to some unforeseen banking issues or mess up sure that happens now and then but 7 frigging months with no pay.....

I think this was because Crytek promising to reward the employees for their loyalty.

The humiliating way the studio was shut down, kicked out by their landlord was quite the punch in the face of those employees. Purposely ignoring the studio until they got kicked by their landlord is wtf!

Even if Crytek lives past this, what happened with this studio will cast a bad light on the company within the industry.

bartoni33 · April 2017

Asm0deus said:

I never understood the whole "I am going to work even if my boss isn't paying attitude" I mean if the pay is a week late due to some unforeseen banking issues or mess up sure that happens now and then but 7 frigging months with no pay.....

.....so sorry but 2 weeks with no pay and I don't walk back in the door, got bills to pay and I don't have time for scrubs especially considering the ones in charge rarely ever lose out when a company is going down.

It seems weird to the working man but to "artists" it seems passion for your "art" will lead to great sacrifice if needed.

I have heard a few times of game devs and other employees going without pay to help get a game completed. The same goes for the movies and music. Sacrifice personal stability for your "craft".

EDIT: Or they were gullible and made a stupid life decision as @MaxBacon said.

Reizla · April 2017

Sad to see a company like Crytech fall from grace like this. They seemed to have a bright future ahead, but with all the (financial) trouble they've been in for the last 2 years, game developers are looking for alternatives (Star Citizen to name one), and I can't blame them for that...

Asm0deus said:

I never understood the whole "I am going to work even if my boss isn't paying attitude" I mean if the pay is a week late due to some unforeseen banking issues or mess up sure that happens now and then but 7 frigging months with no pay.....

.....so sorry but 2 weeks with no pay and I don't walk back in the door, got bills to pay and I don't have time for scrubs especially considering the ones in charge rarely ever lose out when a company is going down.

Could not agree more. I've had the same situation with my wife 5 years ago, where one month worth of pay was 'lost in administration'. I figured to screw them and hand it over to a debt collecting agency for that one month, and within 2 weeks they paid up (company went bankrupt 2 years later BTW). Bottom line - NEVER wait for your boss to pay when he's already behind...

MaxBacon · April 2017

@bartoni33 I mean to be fair this is nothing that uncommon.

Especially on jobs very based on contracts where the company needs to get paid before you get paid, we have to choose between accepting that when the company struggles you will not get paid so you continue working until they pay what they own you... Or walk out the door.

There are the cases where continuing working is the right call and things get back to normal, and where the company's downhill is for good and you have literally worked for free.

So I have been in that situation, I worked 2 months without pay, but I got paid and kept the job at the end.

For me this goes, if you can find another job when you're in this situation, go for it, if not, go on your best judgment if the risk is worth taking.

MaxBacon · April 2017

DMKano said:

Cryteks undoing was foolishly pissing money away opening game dev studios everywhere.

Stick to your core competency.

Yeah that was something clearly wrong, Amazon had already saved Crytek on the last crisis (lol pun) in 2014.

What is known is that Crytek is to get a 500million investment from the Turkish government.

Asm0deus · April 2017

I understand what some of you are saying but my "passion" is for my family, my wife and child and they come first so when I am not getting my pay..well I know where my loyalties lie.

Doesn't mean I don't care about the hard times a company is having or about their product but I made my choice about what is important and needs to come first in my life.

I get the whole starving artist thing but 7 months..lol you need to learn to cut your losses at some point.

MaxBacon · April 2017

Asm0deus said:

I understand what some of you are saying but my "passion" is for my family, my wife and child and they come first so when I am not getting my pay..well I know where my loyalties lie.

Doesn't mean I don't care about the hard times a company is having or about their product but I made my choice about what is important and needs to come first in my life.

I get the whole starving artist thing but 7 months..lol you need to learn to cut your losses at some point.

Well if you work for the company, the company starts not paying you, I think the best bet is to look for another job, but not quitting the current one until you have found an alternative.

I think that's what the majority does already.

cheyane · April 2017

They made those Far Cry games right .They were very successful what the hell happened?

botrytis · April 2017

If they haven't paid their employees, then the writing was on the wall for them. I have been there, working in a startup, but I left after 1 month of not being paid. The company folded 4 months later. It took 1 year, but I did get my back pay.

I was fortunate, it looks like Crytek was not.

Crytek needed more games using this engine, other than Riders of Icarus. Also, giving away the engine was not a good idea either.

MaxBacon · April 2017

But the amazing of all this, is Crytek is still getting one huge 500 Million dollars investment from Turkey's gov: http://www.tweaktown.com/news/55627/crytek-receive-500m-investment-turkish-gov/index.html

If you look at this emails from employees of this studio I'm not sure if the investor they are talking is the Turkish one. Their promised payment never happened so it seems.

Crytek seems to be bankrupt and multi-millionaire at the same time...

Vrika · April 2017

Asm0deus said:

I never understood the whole "I am going to work even if my boss isn't paying attitude" I mean if the pay is a week late due to some unforeseen banking issues or mess up sure that happens now and then but 7 frigging months with no pay.....

Some countries have insurance-like system where if your employer can't play you can get some amount of unpaid salaries from the system.

I've got no idea if Shanghai has anything like that, though, and even if they had such system would be unlikely cover 7 months.

MaxBacon · April 2017

Vrika said:
I've got no idea if Shanghai has anything like that, though, and even if they had such system would be unlikely cover 7 months.

If Crytek is getting one huge investment announced months ago, they can't declare bankruptcy while continuing operations on other studios...

I think they are obligated to pay up those employees, aren't they?

laserit · April 2017

If your paycheck bounces, things are very very bad.

One of the most common reasons that business's fail is by expanding too rapidly and financing to support that expansion.

If things keep in a positive direction, it's all good. The bad times always come and if your over extended, your in trouble.

Cleffy · April 2017

I can see why Crytek is currently failing. They have been silent for years, and they are spending like a major studio. Their engine is no longer modern, was buggy, had worse performance and was harder to work with. For me if I get 2 consecutive no pays, then I am out.

CrazKanuk · April 2017

Silver Lining: Lumberyard will take things over?

That is assuming that Amazon has full rights to the engine. If not, they could also be waiting the imminent sell-off in order to buy up their IP.

The engine marketplace is a fickle bitch these days. Remember that these places used to charge millions in licensing fees, plus royalties *sigh*. Now they're all free! And you only have to pay them if you do well, lol.

rojoArcueid · April 2017

MaxBacon said:

Asm0deus said:

I understand what some of you are saying but my "passion" is for my family, my wife and child and they come first so when I am not getting my pay..well I know where my loyalties lie.

Doesn't mean I don't care about the hard times a company is having or about their product but I made my choice about what is important and needs to come first in my life.

I get the whole starving artist thing but 7 months..lol you need to learn to cut your losses at some point.

Well if you work for the company, the company starts not paying you, I think the best bet is to look for another job, but not quitting the current one until you have found an alternative.

I think that's what the majority does already.

If they are not paying me for long enough then that should be a strong enough reason to quit and still qualify for unemployment collection while I find another job. Working for free only works for volunteers that either dont have responsabilities or have another form of income.

My opinion, if i was a Crytek employee i would not be with them after the first month without pay.

MaxBacon · May 2017

rojoArcueid said:
My opinion, if i was a Crytek employee i would not be with them after the first month without pay.

Perhaps it sustained this long because of the news Crytek was to get that massive 500m investment, hence increasing the trust the company would pay you and solve its financial situation allowing you to keep your job.

TilenM · May 2017

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