Despite the successful launch of Marvel Rivals, the development team, including the game director, has experienced layoffs. An undisclosed number of employees on NetEase’s design team in Seattle were affected, as confirmed by a statement from the company on Wednesday. These job cuts come just over two months after the release of the free-to-play hero shooter, which saw a rapid rise in popularity, attracting more than 10 million players within the first 72 hours of its debut.
Design Team Members Affected by Layoffs
The layoffs were first acknowledged by Thadeus Sasser, the game director for Marvel Rivals, who shared the news via a LinkedIn post. In his message, Sasser expressed his surprise at the industry dynamics, stating, “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!”
While the exact number of affected staff remains unclear, designers Gary MacGee and Jack Burrows confirmed their layoffs through their own LinkedIn posts. MacGee reflected on the team’s achievements, noting, “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,” in his post.
Burrows shared his own sentiments about the experience, stating, “Hey folks! 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,” in his message.
In a statement sent to VGC and other press outlets, NetEase acknowledged the layoffs and cited “organizational reasons” for the changes. The company stated, “We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organisational reasons and to optimise 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.”
Marvel Rivals, which is characterized as an Overwatch-style hero shooter, was released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X on December 6, 2024, quickly becoming a hit. The game reached a remarkable milestone of 20 million players in just 11 days post-launch and features an impressive roster of Marvel superheroes, including Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, Star-Lord, Venom, Wolverine, and others, engaging in team-based 6v6 battles.
