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NetEase Games insists it is investing deeper into Marvel Rivals despite layoffs

The group behind Marvel Rivals says the Seattle layoffs were part of 'organizational restructures' and increased 'development efficiency' for the game.

TJ Denzer

February 19, 2025 9:35 AM

Image via NetEase Games

Yesterday held troubling news for Marvel Rivals as, seemingly out of the blue, NetEase Games suddenly laid off a Seattle-based team that included a director on the game. While further details showed the layoffs to be less intense than originally suspected, it was still a surprising move by NetEase Games. Following those events, NetEase has released a statement regarding the reasoning for the layoffs and has attempted to reassure fans that it is entirely invested in growing Marvel Rivals.

NetEase Games released its statement shortly after news broke about the Seattle team layoffs.

Here’s NetEase’s full statement on the layoffs:

We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game. This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions.

We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which continues to be led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience. We are investing more, not less, into the evolution and growth of this game. We’re excited to deliver new super hero characters, maps, features, and content to ensure an engaging live service experience for our worldwide player base.

It would seem that all arrows are pointing to an inconvenience in the workflow between the support team in Seattle and the main teams in China. Nonetheless, NetEase seems to insist it is building Marvel Rivals up rather than slowing down in any way. Stay tuned as we continue to watch for further news and updates.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.

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