Marvel Rivals, a game buzzing on Steam since its launch, faced an astonishing shake-up this week. Publisher NetEase suddenly laid off the Seattle-based development team behind this popular title, leaving gamers and insiders alike in shock.
The news broke when Thaddeus Sasser, the game’s director, shared his disbelief on LinkedIn. He expressed his surprise at how such a talented team could be let go after helping deliver a successful new franchise for NetEase Games. The full post can be read on his LinkedIn profile.
The situation leaves us with many unanswered questions. Was Sasser himself involved in these layoffs? The details remain unclear. A former team level designer, Jack Burrows, confirmed the news of his layoff without providing reasons behind it. This is particularly puzzling given that Marvel Rivals continues to boast impressive player numbers, peaking at 644,269 players and maintaining an average daily count of over 255,000 on Steam.
This unexpected decision has certainly caused ripples across the gaming community. As we await further comments from NetEase regarding their rationale and the number of people affected, it’s hard not to feel for those who poured their creativity into making Marvel Rivals what it is today.
