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This year has seen Marvel Rivals soar in popularity, captivating hundreds of thousands of gamers, particularly on Steam. Despite this success, the game’s developer, NetEase, recently cut jobs at their Seattle studio, impacting a team crucial to its development.
Thaddeus Sasser, who directed the game, shared his thoughts on LinkedIn about these layoffs. Level designer Garry McGee was notably among those affected, and Jack Burrows, another level designer, confirmed the news in his own post.
Sasser expressed his bewilderment, saying, “This industry is truly unpredictable. My talented team just brought Marvel Rivals, a successful franchise, to life for NetEase Games… and yet they’ve been laid off!”
According to Sasser, this team was instrumental in shaping new mechanics and gameplay elements for this superhero shooter.
In response to these developments, NetEase provided a statement to Polygon, explaining the rationale behind the decision:
“We’ve recently decided to restructure the Marvel Rivals development team for organizational reasons, aiming to enhance development efficiency. Regrettably, this led to the downsizing of a Seattle-based design team that was part of a larger global effort for Marvel Rivals. We deeply appreciate the dedication of those affected, treating their contributions with the utmost respect and confidentiality.
We assure our fans that the core development team, led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, is fully devoted to creating an outstanding experience. We’re ramping up our investment into the game’s development. New superhero characters, maps, features, and content are on the way to enrich the live service experience for our global player community.”
Marvel Rivals continues to be a powerhouse, ranking among the top five games with the most active users on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Steam, as noted by industry analyst Mat Piscatella and Circana. It consistently ranks high on Steam, with about 200,000 concurrent players. This week marks the midpoint of its first season, heralding the arrival of two new heroes: the Thing and Human Torch.
Update (Feb. 19): We have included a statement from NetEase in this update.
