The development studio NetEase has surprisingly made people redundant. The employees helped create the huge success of Marvel Rivals.
The gaming industry has been hit by constant waves of layoffs in recent years, with thousands and thousands of employees having to vacate their workplaces. In most cases, this was actually due to the studios’ lack of success, but the current case comes as a complete surprise: the creators of Marvel Rivals are apparently cutting jobs.
Game Director baff
This industry is so weird.
That wasn’t written by just any player in response to the news, but by Marvel Rivals Game Director Thaddeus Sasser in a post onLinkedIn. My excellent, talented team has just helped develop an incredibly successful new franchise for NetEase Games with Marvel Rivals… and has just been fired!
Dismissed level designer Garry McGee has also had something to say about the matter: My team recently helped develop and launch Marvel Rivals, which was a bigger success than any of us expected! Unfortunately, my team has also been let go. These are indeed strange times for the entire industry.
It is not yet clear how many employees will ultimately be affected. In any case, the layoffs are limited to the US location.80LV; assumes six developers, other sources speak of significantly larger numbers.
In response to PC Gamer, NetEase has issued a statement regarding the layoffs. According to this, the decision was made for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency
Furthermore, NetEase emphasizes that the core team, led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Creative Director Guangyun Chen, will remain in place.We are investing more, not less, in the development and growth of this game.
Cutbacks not only in Marvel Rivals
The layoffs at NetEase may seem surprising at first glance, given the financial success. However, this does reveal a pattern at the Chinese publisher: NetEase is apparently withdrawing from the US market as a whole.
In November, the NetEase-backed project searches for a new publisher.
In Marvel Rivals, the second half of Season 1 begins on Friday, February 21. Not only will this see some balancing changes, but the remaining two members of the Fantastic Four will also be added as heroes: The Thing and the Human Torch. A new map will also be added.
Do you still play Rivals? Let us know what you think of the hero shooter in the comments!
