NetEase Lays Off U.S. Marvel Rivals Team Despite Game’s Massive Success

Frederick Nyame

February 19, 2025

Marvel Rivals is one of the few multiplayer action games that has succeeded. Many expensive games, like Concord, have failed both financially and critically. But this free-to-play superhero shooter is a big hit.

On Steam, Marvel Rivals has reached 300,000 players at once, with a peak of over 600,000. It is one of the top five most-played games on PS5 and Xbox in the U.S. In its first month, it made over $136 million. NetEase should be celebrating, but instead, it has fired key developers from its U.S. team.

NetEase Fires U.S. Developers Behind Marvel Rivals

Despite the game’s success, NetEase is cutting jobs in the U.S. The company says it wants to lower costs because salaries and expenses are higher there. It also believes its teams in China can handle AAA game development alone, as seen with Black Myth: Wukong.

Thaddeus Sasser, a lead developer at NetEase’s U.S. office, shared his frustration:

“This industry is strange. My team helped make Marvel Rivals a huge success for NetEase Games… and we were fired in an instant.”

Other affected developers include designers Garry McGee and Jack Burrows. Their work played a big role in the game’s success, yet they were let go.

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NetEase Responds to Layoffs

NetEase confirmed the firings but reassured fans about the game’s future:

“We made a tough decision to change the Marvel Rivals development team. We appreciate the hard work of those affected. The game is still led by producer Wei-Chung Wu and creative director Guangyün Chen in Guangzhou, China. We are investing more, not less, to help the game grow.”

NetEase’s decision may save money, but it raises concerns about job security. Even developers who work on successful games are not safe from layoffs. This situation shows how unstable the gaming industry can be, no matter how well a project performs.

NetEase rep tells me the cut of the Marvel Rivals team in Seattle was a “difficult decision” made “to optimize development efficiency for the game”

Full statement below

Very unusual move given Rivals’ massive success. But clear focus here is on “core” development in China https://t.co/QDVtySySVy pic.twitter.com/UiWFIhuIks

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 19, 2025

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games.cz