Marvel Rivals Hits 40 Million Players… Right After A Round Of Layoffs

Ah, the modern gaming industry—where success and layoffs go hand in hand. Just days after axing an entire US-based development team, NetEase Games proudly announced that Marvel Rivals has amassed over 40 million players since launching on 6 December 2024. The hero shooter’s first season, Eternal Night Falls, has been a smashing success, setting a new concurrent player record on launch weekend and drawing in droves of new players. It also introduced Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman, along with a fresh game mode, a new map, and long-awaited gameplay tweaks.

And NetEase isn’t slowing down. The upcoming mid-season update will complete the Fantastic Four roster with Human Torch and The Thing, while Dracula and his vampire horde overrun a redesigned Central Park. Players can also finally convert those annoying extra Chrono Tokens into Units, and Quick Match deserters will no longer be replaced if they leave at the last second—a long-requested fix that’s got the community buzzing.

But while Marvel Rivals soars, its development team takes a hit. The layoffs blindsided many, with Game Director Thaddeus Sasser taking to LinkedIn to lament the state of the industry, calling it “weird” and admitting that “times are tough all over.” That’s one way to put it when developers are out of a job despite delivering a wildly successful game. Naturally, the news sparked outrage—after all, if even a record-breaking hit isn’t enough to keep people employed, what is?

NetEase later tried to smooth things over, calling the layoffs a “difficult decision” made to “optimise development efficiency.” The company remains committed to pumping out quality content, starting with the major 1.5 update. And despite the controversy, excitement for the game remains high.

So, Marvel Rivals players can look forward to more heroes, more maps, and more updates—just maybe not from the same developers who built the game in the first place.