Marvel Rivals Director and Entire Seattle Design Team Laid Off, NetEase Tells Fans Not to Worry About the Game

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

"This is such a weird industry," Sasser remarked on LinkedIn. "My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games... and were just laid off! Oh well! Times are tough all over - Let's find these incredible people new jobs, because we all need to eat, right? :D"

The gaming community expressed a mixture of shock and frustration over the layoffs, especially considering Marvel Rivals' remarkable performance. Since its launch in December, the free-to-play hero shooter has amassed over 20 million downloads and achieved substantial peak concurrent player counts on Steam.

Sasser's LinkedIn profile highlights that his team was instrumental in the game and level design aspects of Marvel Rivals, providing crucial guidance, strategy, and design direction over the past few years.

In response to inquiries from IGN, NetEase confirmed the layoffs but did not disclose the 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. "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."

NetEase emphasized that these layoffs will not affect the ongoing support for Marvel Rivals. The primary development team, led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to the game. "We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals... remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience," NetEase added. "We are investing more, not less, into the evolution and growth of this game. We’re excited to deliver new super hero characters, maps, features, and content to ensure an engaging live service experience for our worldwide player base."

This recent action is part of a broader trend of layoffs at NetEase, which has been scaling back its international investments. The company has closed studios in the U.S. and Japan, including Ouka Studios, the developer behind Visions of Mana. In November, Worlds Untold, led by Mass Effect alum Mac Walters, announced a pause in operations following a split with NetEase. Additionally, in January, NetEase cut ties with Jar of Sparks, a studio founded by Halo and Destiny 2 veteran Jerry Hook in 2022.