Marvel Rivals, NetEase Games’ multiplayer shooter, has reportedly laid off several U.S. team members. The cuts come despite the game’s huge success since its December 2024 launch.
Former staff posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn. Level designer Jack Burrows wrote, “Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase.” Similarly, game director Thaddeus Sasser shared, “My talented team delivered a successful new franchise with Marvel Rivals… and were just laid off!” NetEase has not yet commented officially.
The decision has upset players. On Steam, over 300 of today’s 1,000 reviews are negative. Many fans criticize NetEase for letting go of key developers. For example, one review called it “unfair” given the game’s strong performance.
Marvel Rivals gained 20 million players in its first month. It competes well in the live-service market against titles like Palworld and Helldivers 2. Currently, it ranks third on Steam’s most-played games chart and sits in the top five across Xbox and PlayStation for weekly active users.
The layoffs underline the gaming world’s unpredictability. Sasser captured this sentiment on LinkedIn, saying, “This is such a weird industry…” Despite its success, Marvel Rivals faces internal challenges that have left fans and former staff questioning NetEase’s strategy.
