- The Marvel Rivals development team in Seattle has faced a string of layoffs.
- The game is already competing with the top live-service games and recently hit its all-time peak CCU.
- NetEase Games is shifting its focus to the core development team in China.
It’s clear by now that the video games industry is full of uncertainty. Whether it is a big-budget disaster or an indie success, you can never predict what is coming for a game. When it comes to success, Marvel Rivals is a model citizen. However, it seems even a game’s popularity won’t save the developers from layoffs. That’s exactly what has happened as NetEase has decided to layoff a bunch of members from the game’s Seattle team.
The news was revealed through a series of social media posts by now-former NetEase employees. One such member, Thaddeus Sasser, Game Director at NetEase Games for almost two years, has expressed his thoughts on LinkedIn. In the post, he says:
“This is such a weird industry… My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games… …and were just laid off!”
Level designer Jack Burrows also shared a post saying, ” I just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase.” As he continues, it is clear that the whole Seattle-based team working on Marvel Rivals has now been laid off.
NetEase Confirms Marvel Rivals Layoffs
While this news comes as a shocker, there were initially no reasons behind it all. However, in a statement to PC Gamer, NetEase has clarified its position. The company mentioned:
We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game. This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions”
While the company states that the core development team in China remains fully operation, it’s still sad news for the U.S division. We must remember that Marvel Rivals hit its all-time high concurrent player record. With that, the Marvel Rivals player count on Steam alone was breathing down the necks of the great CS2 and Dota 2.
While shooters get a new life with games like Marvel Rivals, the gaming industry’s layoffs are not going anywhere.
Regarding the Marvel Rivals layoffs, Mat Piscatella on Bluesky says, “Marvel Rivals is currently among the top 5 games in US weekly active users across PS5, XBS and Steam, according to Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker.” He continues, “I dunno, folks. I just don’t know.”
What are your thoughts on Marvel Rivals development team layoffs despite it being a huge success? Do tell us in the comments.
