Marvel Rivals Developer Layoffs - Despite the games success

Marvel Rivals has been a huge success since its launch Dec 6th 2024. Credit: NetEase

In a surprising move, NetEase Games has laid off its Seattle-based development team responsible for the successful hero shooter, Marvel Rivals. This decision comes despite the game's impressive performance since its December 2024 launch, where it quickly amassed a substantial player base and secured a position among the top five games on platforms like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Steam.

Game director Thaddeus Sasser announced the layoffs on LinkedIn, expressing his bewilderment: "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 echoed this sentiment, stating, "Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase. Was an enormous pleasure to work with my American coworkers who join me in this sad culling."

NetEase has since confirmed the layoffs, explaining that the decision was made "to optimize development efficiency for the game." The company emphasized that the core development team in China remains committed to the game's ongoing support and future content updates.

Marvel Rivals has been a standout success in the gaming industry, regularly attracting around 200,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. The game is currently in the midst of its first season, with new heroes, the Thing and Human Torch, set to be introduced soon.

The layoffs have sparked discussions within the gaming community about the volatility of the industry, especially when successful projects face unexpected team reductions. Players have also expressed their dissatisfaction, with some leaving negative reviews on platforms like Steam in response to the news.

As the situation develops, the future of Marvel Rivals will be closely monitored, particularly regarding how the remaining team will manage ongoing support and content creation for the game's dedicated player base.