Recently, several developers from the successful game Marvel Rivals, produced by NetEase Games, were laid off. The news was confirmed by the game’s director, Thaddeus Sasser, who expressed his surprise at the situation. According to Sasser, his “talented team” had contributed to the launch of a new and successful franchise, achieving Marvel Rivals reaching 10 million players in its first 72 hours and 20 million in the following week. Despite these impressive numbers, all developers located in America, including two level designers, were laid off.
Marvel Rivals has positioned itself among the top five video games in the United States, standing out on multiple platforms such as PC, PlayStation, and Xbox Series X|S. This success is even more remarkable given that it integrates into a saturated live service gaming market. However, the fact that NetEase is scaling back its operations in the gaming sector, especially single-player titles, has left many in the industry puzzled. Despite the recent bad news, the game will continue to receive updates, with the introduction of new characters, such as The Human Torch and The Thing, scheduled for this week.
It is not the only study that has made cuts
In addition to the layoffs at NetEase, the Swedish studio Liquid Swords has also made the difficult decision to lay off part of its team. Founded by Chistofer Sundberg in 2020, Liquid Swords has yet to release its first title, but has stated that the measure responds to a priority for “long-term sustainability”. These layoffs reflect a worrying pattern in the industry, where the success of a game does not always guarantee job stability for its developers.
