Crystal Dynamics, the veteran studio behind the Tomb Raider franchise, has announced a fresh round of layoffs as part of a restructuring process that began last year. This latest workforce reduction has impacted 20 employees.
In a statement released via LinkedIn, the developer explained that the departures involve a mix of creative development staff and central operations personnel. “As our current projects transition into new development cycles, we are consistently evaluating our internal team structures to ensure they remain in sync with our long-term studio objectives,” the post noted. While the studio stated they prioritize internal transfers whenever feasible, they admitted to reaching a point where these specific redundancies were unavoidable. To assist those affected, Crystal Dynamics is offering severance packages and career placement support.
Despite the downsizing, the studio emphasized that it remains “fully committed” to the high-profile Tomb Raider projects currently in the pipeline. These include Legacy of Atlantis—a comprehensive remake of the original 1996 adventure slated for release later this year—and Catalyst, a brand-new mainline entry expected to arrive in 2027. Both titles were initially unveiled during The Game Awards 2025 and currently appear unaffected by the staffing changes.
This news follows a previous wave of job cuts last August, which the studio defended as a necessary step to maintain institutional health within an increasingly volatile gaming market. Those earlier layoffs were widely speculated to be a result of the cancellation of the Perfect Dark reboot at Rare, a project Crystal Dynamics had been supporting, though the studio never officially confirmed that link.
For those eager to learn more about Lara Croft’s upcoming adventures, you can explore how Catalyst and Legacy of Atlantis bridge the gap between the different eras of the series timeline.
