Crytek is closing its studios in Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, China, and Turkey, the developer said today. Crytek says they plan to “refocus on its core strengths of developing innovative games and game-development technology.”

Specifically, the studios in Bulgaria (Crytek Black Sea), Hungary (Crytek Budapest), China (Crytek Shanghai), Turkey (Crytek Istanbul), and South Korea (Crytek Seoul) have been closed. The news comes on the back of multiple reports that the developer has had issues all throughout 2016 of paying its employees on time, or in some cases at all.

Whether true or not, the reports potential give a bit of insight into why this decision has been made. Crytek has said it "has put plans into action to secure jobs and to ensure a smooth transition and stable future." Crytek Co-Founder and Managing Director, Avni Yerli accompanied the announcement with the following statement:

Undergoing such transitions is far from easy, and we’d like to sincerely thank each and every staff member – past and present – for their hard work and commitment to Crytek. 

Our focus now lies entirely on the core strengths that have always defined Crytek – world-class developers, state-of-the-art technology and innovative game development, and we believe that going through this challenging process will make us a more agile, viable, and attractive studio, primed for future success.