The success of Marvel Rivals can’t be underestimated. Hero shooters are a dime-a-dozen in the gaming industry but NetEase made magic with the Marvel license. From the addictive gameplay to the amazing character designs and decent business practices, this game continues to flourish and we’re only halfway through Season 1.
So why was the Rivals Game Director and his team laid off?
Fans everywhere gasped when Game Director Thaddeus Sasser announced that his entire team in Seattle was laid off. Sasser didn’t provide a reason for the layoff, aside from saying that this is “such a weird industry.” One can’t help but agree with Sasser because why would you fire the team that just made an incredible hero shooter?
How ridiculous are these firings? Sasser brings up how Garry McGee, a fired employee, was crucial in the game’s level designs and gameplay mechanics. The level designs and gameplay mechanics are some of the most praised aspects of the game, making this firing even more questionable.
No matter how you look at it, these Marvel Rivals layoffs make no sense at all. At the time of writing, this game’s player numbers are still huge on Steam, going over 100K. We’re about to get Human Torch and The Thing added to the shooter, completing the Fantastic Four and hyping up their MCU debut in July.
Unfortunately, fans who have been following the games industry know that success doesn’t mean you get to keep your job, which is truly unfortunate. Last year, Xbox laid off the entire team at Tango Gameworks, who made the critically acclaimed and financially successful Hi-Fi Rush. However, that game’s success wasn’t enough as Xbox purchased too many companies, so they “had” to let these hardworking employees go.
It wasn’t that long ago when fans were comparing Marvel Rivals to Marvel’s Avengers, pointing out how the former succeeds in everything that the latter couldn’t measure up to. At the time it made sense that this game would be de-listed, as many figured the title didn’t sell enough and Square Enix selling Crystal Dynamics sealed the deal.
Rivals is doing everything right and the devs are still being punished for it. Sure, the game can be unbalanced and some characters are better than others, but that’s part of the fun. Playing as an overpowered Iron Fist is just as fun as killing the rapid-punching martial artist when using someone like Invisible Woman or Luna Snow.
As a Marvel Rivals player who loves using the shooter’s big booty babes, it’s depressing to see people fired for doing their job. Knowing that the guy who expertly crafted the shooter’s various levels makes revisiting this title a more uncomfortable experience. It hurts even more that the game’s Director, who was there for every step this shooter took, won’t be there for future updates.
Does this mean I’m going to stop playing Rivals? I wish it was yes, but that’s a hard no. The game is a great way to kill time and will be the only hero shooter I care to play for the rest of my life. It’s just a shame that the money I’ll give for that hot Psylocke outfit isn’t going to the people who made this game so good in the first place.
Marvel Rivals is so good that gamers went to comic book stores to learn more about the characters. Even the MCU movies couldn’t do that. The devs who made a game so good that they got people to go to comic book stores should be rewarded, not fired.
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