Despite itssuccess,NetEaserecently laid off a Seattle-based development team forMarvel Rivals,helmed by Thaddeus Sasser.
Sasser commentedon the cruel nature of the industry, stating that despite his talented team delivering an incredibly successful new franchise for NetEase, they were all laid off.
GDC Survey Shows More Game Developers Are Impacted By Layoffs Than Ever Before
The recent Game Designers Conference survey for this year shows, among other shocking statistics, that 41% of staff feel impacted by layoffs.
After spotlighting his team’s work, we have learned from Sasser’sLinkedInthat he played a key role in one ofMarvel Rivals' defining features: Team-Ups.
When I first joined the team, one of the first things I designed was the idea of Team-Ups.
A great thing about the Marvel IP are the characters of course. I read these comics growing up and was invested in the lives of these fictional people. These characters would often be parts of larger groups like the Avengers, or the X-Men. The groups often functioned like a small family or a very tight team. They’d often have a special move, like the “fastball special”(https://lnkd.in/gJ9b_39n) that they’d use in combat.
I thought this should be represented in the gameplay. It would add a deeper layer of complexity to the current experience, but it wouldn’t force specific role selection. It would also allow some tweaking and changes to the “meta” layer over time. That’s a good thing, because a perfect balance is a boring balance.
This specific team up between Storm and Human Torch was in my original pitch deck. I’m excited to see it announced, and I can’t wait to hear how the players feel about the Team-Ups feature.
Despite Layoffs, NetEase Claims to Have a Steady Flow of Content for Marvel Rivals
NetEase has discussed the importance of regularly adding new playable heroes to the game.Earlier this year, they stated that their goal was to release new heroes every six weeks or so.
They’ve also stated they want a “Marvel-inspired approach” for game balance, allowing players to play and ally with their favorite Marvel superheroes.
Marvel Rivals Boasts 40 Million Players, NetEase Reports $2.9 Billion in Revenue
Days after laying off team members in Seattle, NetEase touts the massive success of Marvel Rivals.
The goal is to deliver “more line-up or team comp possibilities through hero design and [their]team-up mechanic.”
Ironically, they’ll be doing that without someone who originally helped design the Team-Ups found inMarvel Rivals.
