Image: NetEase Games
Marvel Rivals’ development team has been hit by a series of job cuts.
NetEase Games’ free-to-play hero shooter Marvel Rivals might be a huge hit at launch, but that apparently isn't enough to save some of its development team from being hit by a string of layoffs. Listed on LinkedIn as one of the game’s directors, Thaddeus Sasser, announced on the platform that he, along with his “stellar, talented team” working on Marvel Rivals “were just laid off!"
The shooter is in the midst of its first season of content, and recently reversed a controversial decision to reset competitive ranks mid-season.
Marvel Rivals development staff suddenly fired amid layoffs
Marvel Rivals has proven to be a very successful game for its publisher NetEase Games. The shooter racked up 20 million players within its first month of release, and has carved out a spot for itself in Steam’s list of top three most-played video games. Today, more than 300,000 concurrent players are logging into the game on Steam.
Alas, even the makers of this game, which can only be described as a breakout hit, aren’t safe from being laid off. Several members of the game’s development team, including game director Thaddeus Sasser, and level designers Jack Burrows and Garry McGee, have confirmed on Linkedin that they’ve lost their jobs amid a series of layoffs.
McGee wrote:
Hello, hello! As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” My team recently helped develop and launch Marvel Rivals, which turned out to be a bigger hit than any of us expected! Unfortunately my team was also laid off. Strange times all across the industry indeed.
Burrows wrote:
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. Just couldn't dodge that big boot I guess, no matter how big the success of the gig.
Neither the laid-off staff nor NetEase Games have provided a reason for these layoffs. Marvel Rivals has seemingly been unaffected by the loss of these developers, having just announced details for its Season 1.5 update, which will introduce new playable characters The Thing and The Human Torch.
Update: According to a statement sent to GamesRadar+, NetEase Games has confirmed that these layoffs specifically impacted an American design team for Marvel Rivals based in Seattle, Washington. The statement reads:
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.
