NetEase laid off Marvel Rivals’ Seattle developers

NetEase Games has seemingly laid off its Seattle-based team working on its free-to-play shooter, Marvel Rivals.

On LinkedIn, game director Thaddeus Sasser wrote that his “stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise for NetEase, [and we] were just laid off!”

“This is such a weird industry,” he noted. A level designer also revealed he was impacted, though it’s presently unclear why NetEase has cut positions, and if teams at other locations were affected.

Marvel Rivals’ story so far

Marvel Rivals released in December 2024 and quickly became a Steam bestseller. It may have also been a big money maker for NetEase: in January, reports claimed the game made around 1 billion won (or $136 million) in revenue, most of which was said to have come from PC players.

Prior to release, the studio said Rivals’ post-launch heroes would be free for all players. The game’s first season has already added Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, with fellow Fantastic Four members Human Torch and the Thing slated to arrive this Friday, February 21.

Game Developer has reached out to NetEase about the layoffs, and will update when a response is given.

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