NetEase has just released a statement regarding the recent layoffs of the Marvel Rivals team in the United States.
Marvel Rivals game director Thaddeus Sasser revealed yesterday that his entire team in the United States was suddenly gutted. Sasser added that the layoffs took place even after their team was able to “deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games”. It was unclear why the layoffs occurred, but NetEase’s latest statement clarifies.
NetEase’s statement on Marvel Rivals layoffs was first spotted on an X post by Stephen Totilo. It revealed that the layoffs were part of a “difficult decision” required for “organisational reasons and to optimise development efficiency”. The decision led to cutting down their Seattle design team, which comprised six people. The developers stated that the affected will receive confidential and respectful treatment “with recognition for their individual contributions”.
At the same time, they assure players that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which resides in Guangzhou, China, and is led by Weicong Wu, is “fully committed” to providing the best experience for the players. The developers are investing more in the game’s growth and are looking forward to delivering new characters, maps, features, and engaging live-service content for their community.
Here’s NetEase’s statement on the Marvel Rivals layoffs in Seattle:
“We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize 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.
We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which continues to be led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience. 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.”
In other news, Marvel Rivals players can exchange their Battle Pass Chrono Tokens after the Season 1.5 update. Also, the new update will nerf the triple strategist meta. What are your thoughts on Netease’s statement on the recent Marvel Rivals layoffs? Let us know in the comments or on our community forum!
For more information from GPlayr, read about the Pokemon GO developer planning to sell its gaming division. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.