NetEase, the developer behind the successful mobile game Marvel Rivals, has announced layoffs affecting its Seattle-based design team. The cuts, attributed to "organizational reasons" and aimed at optimizing development efficiency, were announced by game director Thaddeus Sasser on LinkedIn. Sasser and his team, responsible for game and level design, were let go despite the game's significant success.
Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play hero shooter, boasts over 20 million downloads since its December launch and impressive concurrent player numbers on Steam. The news of the layoffs has sparked shock and criticism within the gaming community, given the game's popularity.
While NetEase confirmed the layoffs in a statement to IGN, the exact number of affected employees remains undisclosed. The company emphasized that the layoffs will not affect ongoing support for Marvel Rivals, as the core development team, led by Weicong Wu and Guangyun Chen, remains based in Guangzhou, China. NetEase reiterated its commitment to the game's future, promising new content, characters, and features.
These layoffs represent the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures by NetEase, including withdrawing from several overseas investments and shuttering studios in the U.S. and Japan. Previous examples include the closure of Ouka Studios (Visions of Mana) and the pausing of operations at Worlds Untold (headed by Mass Effect's Mac Walters) following a split with NetEase. The January closure of Jar of Sparks, founded by industry veteran Jerry Hook, further underscores NetEase's restructuring efforts.
