Marvel Rivals Team Laid Off, NetEase Reassures Fans

NetEase, the developer behind the popular game Marvel Rivals, has announced layoffs within its Seattle-based design team, citing "organizational reasons." The news came to light when game director Thaddeus Sasser shared on LinkedIn that he and his team were let go, despite their significant contributions to the successful launch of Marvel Rivals.

Sasser expressed his frustration on the platform, highlighting the irony of being laid off after helping to deliver a successful new franchise. "This is such a weird industry," he wrote, urging the gaming community to help his talented team find new opportunities. The announcement has sparked a wave of shock and anger among video game developers and fans, given the game's impressive performance since its December launch, with over 20 million downloads and significant concurrent player counts on Steam.

According to Sasser's LinkedIn profile, his team was instrumental in game and level design, providing strategic guidance and direction for Marvel Rivals over the past few years. In response to inquiries from IGN, NetEase confirmed the layoffs but did not disclose the exact number of affected employees.

"We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game," NetEase stated. They emphasized that the layoffs were part of a broader strategy to streamline the global design function supporting Marvel Rivals, while ensuring those affected are treated with confidentiality and respect.

Despite the cuts, NetEase reassured fans that the layoffs will not impact the ongoing support for Marvel Rivals. The primary development team, based in Guangzhou, China, and led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen, remains fully committed to enhancing the game's experience. NetEase is planning to invest more into the game's evolution, promising new superhero characters, maps, features, and content to keep the global player base engaged.

This recent round of layoffs at NetEase follows a pattern of the company scaling back its international investments. Over the past few months, NetEase has closed studios in the U.S. and Japan, including Ouka Studios, the developer behind Visions of Mana, and paused operations at Worlds Untold led by Mass Effect alum Mac Walters. Additionally, in January, NetEase cut ties with Jar of Sparks, a studio founded by Halo and Destiny 2 veteran Jerry Hook in 2022.