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Niantic lays off 230 employees, cancels Marvel game

The Pokemon Go developer will also shutter its Los Angeles studio.
Donovan Erskine
Donovan Erskine
Niantic
2

Niantic has been one of the busiest studios in the industry, constantly inking deals with major IP-holders and announcing new games, but it looks like the company is now hitting the brakes and backing up a little. According to a new report, the Pokemon Go developer has laid off 230 employees, closed its LA office, and canceled its upcoming Marvel game.

Niantic founder John Hanke announced the layoffs in an internal email obtained by Kotaku. According to Hanke, Niantic’s expenses were outgrowing its revenue, leading to the job cuts. In addition to laying off 230 workers, Niantic will close its Los Angeles studio. The company will also shut down NBA All-World, and is canceling Marvel World of Heroes, the latter of which was announced in 2022 and was set to launch this year.

Celebi next to the Pokemon Go logo.

Source: Niantic

John Hanke’s email to employees also touches on the state of the mobile game business and the company’s failure to hit performance marks in recent history.

Moving forward, Niantic will channel more focus into Pokemon Go, the game that catapulted it into video game superstardom back in 2016. The developer recently found itself in hot water with players after reversing an update that accidentally increased the game’s interaction radius, stoking the flames of an ongoing debate over the game’s attitude toward accessibility.

News Editor
News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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