Thaddeus Sasser, the director of Marvel Rivals, a hero shooter game by NetEase that has achieved high success, has revealed that he and his team were let go by NetEase as part of the company’s cost-cutting plan.
Alongside Sasser, Jack Burrows, the level designer of Marvel Rivals, also announced that he was similarly released. Both are former American game designers who joined NetEase in 2023 and worked at the Seattle studio. It is currently unclear how many employees NetEase’s American studio has, but rough estimates suggest around ten individuals.
This round of layoffs by NetEase marks a continuous trend of shutting down game development teams in the United States, as part of NetEase’s long-term strategy. Apart from the US, NetEase also has studios in Japan.
Source: Thaddeus Sasser, Kotaku
TLDR: Thaddeus Sasser and his team, along with Jack Burrows, were let go by NetEase as the company continues to downsize its game development teams in the United States and focuses on closing studios outside of China.
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