Marvel Rivals on Steam

NetEase has laid off its US-based Marvel Rivals development team shortly after the game's successful debut. Despite generating $136 million in its first month, the decision has raised eyebrows, particularly as the company has been scaling back its operations in the US.

Game director Thaddeus Sasser shared the news on LinkedIn, expressing his surprise at the decision. “This is such a weird industry,” Sasser wrote. “My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games... and were just laid off!” He added, “Oh well! Times are tough all over—let's help these incredible people find new jobs, because we all need to eat, right?”

Level designer Jack Burrows also confirmed the layoffs, stating that he and his colleagues had been let go. He wrote, “Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase. It was an enormous pleasure to work with my American coworkers who join me in this sad culling. Just couldn’t dodge that big boot, no matter how big the success of the gig.”

The reason behind the layoffs remains unclear, especially given the success of Marvel Rivals. The game reportedly earned $136 million in its first month, according to Chinese gaming site GameLook.

In recent months, NetEase has been scaling back its US operations. In November 2024, the company stopped funding Worlds Untold, a studio founded by BioWare veteran Mac Walters in 2023. In January 2025, it shut down Jar of Sparks, a studio founded by Halo and Destiny 2 developer Jerry Hook in 2022. Additionally, reports from August 2024 indicated that NetEase laid off most of the team at Ouka Studios, which was working on Visions of Mana, even before the game launched. The swift job cuts have led many to question NetEase’s long-term strategy for its US-based operations and its commitment to the game.

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