NetEase Games suffers layoffs at Marvel Rivals

NetEase Games has confirmed the dismissal of the developers from Marvel Rivals based in North America. The Chinese video game developer and publisher says the decision to lay off staff is due to “adjust the structure of the Marvel Rivals development team for organizational reasons.”

The news was released by Thaddeus Sasser, former director of games at NetEase, in a LinkedIn post. Shortly thereafter, in a statement, the developer and publisher confirmed the layoffs of Marvel Rivals developers based at its Seattle studio.

We recently made the difficult decision to adjust the Marvel Rivals development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize the efficiency of game development. This resulted in a reduction of a Seattle-based design team that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals.

NetEase representative

The company later thanked the affected employees for their hard work. NetEased did not disclose the total number of employees now looking for work, but confirmed that no Seattle-based developers are working on Marvel Rivals.

Layoffs at NetEase despite the success of Marvel Rivals.

Since its launch on December 6, 2024, Marvel Rivals has become one of the world’s most popular hero shooters. In the last three months, the game has surpassed 20 million downloads on PC and consoles.

NetEase is not the only video game developer to lay off staff in 2025. In February, Hi-Rez Studios, creators of Smite, Paladins and Rogue Company, suffered major layoffs that affected its esports projects.

In the case of Marvel Rivals, NetEase Games’ workforce restructuring has not affected its esports plans. The inaugural edition of the Marvel Rivals Championship will be held from March 8, 2025 to April 6, 2025. Titled Eternal Night Falls, the competitive circuit is divided into four regions where PC and console players can compete for a share of the $14,500 prize pool.