Marvel Rivals Devs Laid Off Despite Blockbuster Launch
Despite delivering one of 2024’s biggest hits, Marvel Rivals developers have been laid off. Today’s Pixel P&L covers their job cuts, Scopely’s talks to acquire Pokémon Go maker Niantic, India Gaming Show 2025 showcases, and more.
Marvel Rivals Team Faces Layoffs Despite Blockbuster Success
NetEase has laid off members of the Marvel Rivals development team, including Game Director Thadeus Sasser, despite the game’s commercial and critical success. The company confirmed Wednesday that an unspecified number of employees from its Seattle-based design team were let go. The layoffs come just two months after the launch of Marvel Rivals, and surpassed 20 million players within 11 days.
Several affected developers, including Sasser, level designer Gary MacGee, and game designer Jack Burrows, took to LinkedIn to express their disappointment. “This is such a weird industry,” Sasser wrote. “We just delivered a hugely successful game, and now we’re out.” In a statement to VGC, NetEase attributed the job cuts to “organizational reasons,” stating that the restructuring was intended to optimize development efficiency.
The layoffs are particularly surprising since Marvel Rivals has proven to be a financial powerhouse. Chinese gaming site GameLook estimates that the game grossed approximately ¥1 billion ($136.3 million) in its first month. This includes $54.5 million from Steam, $27.2 million from PlayStation, $2.7 million from Xbox, and roughly $15.6 million from a non-Steam PC client. An additional $36 million was reportedly generated from China alone.
Scopely in Talks to Acquire Niantic’s Games Business for $3.5 Billion
Pokémon Go developer Niantic is in talks to sell its gaming division to Scopely for about $3.5 billion, Bloomberg reports. The deal, which could be announced in the coming weeks, would transfer Pokémon Go and Niantic’s other mobile titles, including Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom, and Peridot, to Scopely, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group.
Savvy has been expanding its gaming footprint and previously hinted at pursuing a “mega deal” for a billion-dollar franchise. The potential acquisition comes as Niantic struggles to replicate Pokémon Go’s runaway success. While the AR game has generated over $8 billion, Monster Hunter Now has brought in $269 million in nearly 1.5 years, and Pikmin Bloom has earned just $78.5 million since 2021.
Despite its declining revenue, Pokémon Go remains Niantic’s most profitable title. AppMagic data estimates that the game last surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue in 2021-2022 but earned a still-substantial $809 million in 2023-2024
Quick Bytes
JetSynthesys to Showcase Gaming Portfolio at India Gaming Show 2025
The company will showcase Real Cricket, Sachin Saga, and an esports arena with Skyesports and Revenant Esports at the event. It takes place from Feb. 20-22 in New Delhi and will also see JetSynthesys CEO Rajan Navani joining industry leaders in panel discussions on India’s gaming growth, esports monetization, and direct-to-consumer gaming.
KRAFTON India-Backed Sojourn Past to Debut at India Gaming Show 2025
The 2D action-adventure by Nagaland-based ReDimension Games was developed under the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) program. According to a release, the game blends fast-paced combat, platforming challenges, and hand-drawn art, drawing inspiration from Hyper Light Drifter and Furi.
Nintendo Reopens Taiwan Subsidiary
Nintendo has announced the establishment of Nintendo of Taiwan, a new subsidiary set to take over regional operations from April 1. Based in Taipei, it aims to strengthen Nintendo’s presence and customer service in the region. Nintendo had closed its old Taiwanese subsidiary, 'Nintendo Phuten', back in 2014, with Nintendo Hong Kong taking control of the region's operations in the years since.
💡Did You Know
In the early 1980s, Quaker Oats had a video games division. Through its subsidiary, U.S. Games, the company released 14 Atari 2600 titles within a year (1982-83). However, all of them were commercial failures. Amid the infamous 1983 video game crash, Quaker Oats swiftly shut down U.S. Games, exiting the industry just as quickly as it had entered.
📜Quote of the Day
“We're made up of thousands of parts with thousands of functions all working in tandem to keep us alive. Yet if only one part of our imperfect machine fails, life fails. It makes one realize how fragile, how flawed we are.”
Ingun Black-Briar, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
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