UPDATE: February 19, 2025
NetEase responded to our inquiry with the following statement:
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.
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The game director for Marvel Rivals has just reported that he and his entire team have been laid off from NetEase games, despite the game’s undeniable success. To put things in perspective, Marvel Rivals is currently in the top five most-played games across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam, and it’s the number-one most played game on Steam. In an industry where live service games struggle to get any traction, much less maintain their growth, the news of the layoffs is surprising.
To clarify, NetEase laid off the Seattle-based team. No reason was given as to why they were laid off, nor do we know if other teams were affected. Some fans speculate the reason could be politically motivated, while others place the blame on corporate hubris.
What this news means for the future of the game — which the developers recently hinted could come to the Nintendo Switch 2 — isn’t clear. Game director Thaddeus Sasser shared his thoughts on LinkedIn, opening the post with “This is such a weird industry.” Jack Burrows, one of the level designers, said “Just couldn’t dodge that big boot I guess, no matter how big the success of the gig.”
Marvel Rivals is currently among the top 5 games in US weekly active users across PS5, XBS and Steam, according to Circana's Player Engagement Tracker.It has been a massive hit, and one of the few games that has been able to break through the live service wall.I dunno, folks. I just don't know.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T19:26:12.575Z
The Marvel-inspired hero shooter is estimated to have earned over $130 million in its first month alone. Its popularity shows no signs of slowing down, with two new characters and a new map expected within the next two weeks. Ostensibly, those targets will still be met, but there are a lot of unknowns at the moment. If that pace continues, the game could generate more than $1 billion in revenue in its first year.
Digital Trends has reached out to NetEase for comment and will update this story when we get a response.
