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- Despite Marvel Rival’s huge success, Netease laid off the game director and his entire Seattle-based team.
- The director announced his layoff on LinkedIn, also hoping to find a new position for his fellow employees.
- The increasing wave of layoffs in the industry has become concerning, as 1000 game devs have lost their jobs since the start of 2025.
Update: Netease has issued a statement saying that the layoffs were a difficult decision made for “organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game.” They also assured that the game’s development will continue to expand despite this setback.
The original report follows…
In just a few months from it’s release, Marvel Rivals has made a great name for itself, even dethroning titles like Overwatch. The game generated a revenue of a whopping $136 Million just within the first month of its launch.
However, not even this amount of success is pleasing for studio Netease games. According to the game director, Thaddeus Sasser, on LinkedIn, he and his entire team at the Seattle-based studio were laid off from Netease games.
Why it matters: Layoffs have become a huge and concerning issue within the gaming industry. While most layoffs happen because of cost-cutting and failed releases, Netease laying off employees after such a successful release is disappointing to hear.
Thaddeus wrote on LinkedIn to announce the layoff as well as to find new employment for his fellow workers. The reason behind the layoff is unknown but still concerning since Marvel Rivals has been on a roll and hasn’t dipped in popularity or player count.
Despite such huge success, it seems that Netease is cutting down costs. Just recently, Liquid Swords, a Sweden-based studio backed by Netease, also announced layoffs.
Whatever the case may be or a change of plans for Netease, they may have sabotaged Marvel Rivals. While the previous staff may have quite a load of content planned down, such a shift in creative direction may take a toll on the game’s future.
On the other hand, video game developers are more than concerned about their jobs. Not even two months into 2025 and almost 1000 video game devs have been laid off already.
What are your thoughts on the increasing wave of layoffs in the gaming industry? Do you think Marvel Rivals losing its director will harm the game? Let us know in the comments below or head towards the official Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[Staff Writer]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheerzahid03@gmail.com
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