Marvel Rivals Dir. & Design Team Laid Off; Fans Assured Game's Future

NetEase, developer of the successful mobile game Marvel Rivals, has announced layoffs affecting its Seattle-based design team. The cuts, attributed to "organizational reasons" and efficiency optimization, were announced by game director Thaddeus Sasser on LinkedIn, who confirmed his own dismissal along with his team's.

This news has sparked considerable surprise and criticism within the gaming community, given Marvel Rivals' impressive performance. The free-to-play title boasts over 20 million downloads since its December launch and significant concurrent player numbers on Steam. Sasser's LinkedIn profile highlights his team's contribution to game and level design over the past two years.

While NetEase confirmed the layoffs in a statement to IGN, the exact number of affected employees remains undisclosed. The company emphasized that the restructuring aims to enhance development efficiency and that the layoffs will not affect ongoing support for Marvel Rivals. NetEase reassured players that the core development team, based in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to the game's future, promising continued updates with new characters, maps, features, and content.

This latest round of job cuts follows a pattern of reduced overseas investment and studio closures by NetEase. Previous actions include the closure of U.S. and Japanese studios, such as Ouka Studios (Visions of Mana), a pause of operations for Worlds Untold (headed by Mass Effect's Mac Walters), and the cancellation of Jar of Sparks (founded by Halo and Destiny 2 veteran Jerry Hook).