NetEase lays off Marvel Rivals' US team despite game's massive success

The news: NetEase confirmed Wednesday that it laid off all of a Seattle-based development team for Marvel Rivals due to “organizational reasons.” The news was shared by Thaddeus Sasser, the game director, on LinkedIn, where he expressed surprise and frustration over the decision despite the game's success.

• Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play hero shooter, has been a significant hit, with over 20 million downloads and peak concurrent players on Steam, notes PC Gamer. The game generated an estimated $136 million in its first month, cementing its explosive success.
• While the layoffs affected the US-based design team, NetEase emphasized that the core development team, based in China, remains intact and committed to ongoing support for the game. The company also reassured fans that new content, including superhero characters and maps, is still in the pipeline.