NetEase, the developer behind the successful mobile game Marvel Rivals, has announced layoffs affecting its Seattle-based design team. The cuts, attributed to "organizational reasons" and efficiency optimization, were announced by game director Thaddeus Sasser on LinkedIn, who confirmed his own dismissal along with that of his team.

This news has been met with surprise and criticism within the gaming community, given Marvel Rivals' significant success. The free-to-play game boasts over 20 million downloads since its December launch and impressive concurrent player counts on Steam. Sasser's team, according to his LinkedIn profile, played a crucial role in the game's design and development over the past few years.

While NetEase confirmed the layoffs in a statement to IGN, the exact number of affected employees remains undisclosed. The company emphasized that these cuts are a restructuring of the Seattle design team, part of a larger global design function, and will not impact ongoing support for Marvel Rivals. NetEase reassured players that the core development team, based in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to the game's continued development and expansion, promising new heroes, maps, features, and content.

This latest round of layoffs follows a pattern of reduced overseas investment and studio closures by NetEase. Previous actions include the closure of U.S. and Japan-based studios, such as Ouka Studios (developer of Visions of Mana), and the halting of operations for Worlds Untold and the cancellation of Jar of Sparks.