Hi-Rez Studios lays off staff to ‘ensure’ Smite 2’s long-term success

Hi-Rez Studios has conducted “some” layoffs, according to CEO Stewart Chisam.

A specific number of reductions was not revealed, but Chisam said Hi-Rez’s marketing and publishing teams have been affected. Cosmetic content and system features teams at subsidiaries Evil Mojo (Paladins), G&A, and Titan Forge (Smite) were also impacted.

Chisam said the “difficult, but necessary changes” were made specifically to benefit Smite 2. Hi-Rez wants to secure the MOBA sequel’s long-term success in the hopes it “sustains itself long into the 2030s.”

All hands on deck for Smite 2

Hi-Rez will “almost exclusively” devote itself to Smite 2’s gameplay development and quality improvements ahead of its 2025 launch.

As a result, Smite 2’s previously planned cosmetic and monetization features have been put on the backburner. Meanwhile, both Paladins and the original Smite (which Hi-Rez planned to keep working on alongside the sequel) will get “light updates” from small teams for the foreseeable future.

“While these changes are difficult, we believe they are necessary and we will emerge stronger from them,” concluded Chisam. “Thank you for standing by us as we build the future of Hi-Rez and Smite 2.”

Chisam’s statement on the layoffs can be read here.