Massive layoffs at Hi-Rez Studios. Dev ends development of three games to fully focus on just one - Smite 2
Hi-Rez studio went through massive layoffs. Their effect will be to cease the development of three games, including the first Smite.
Hi-Rez Studios is another gaming industry company that has experienced huge job cuts. We don't know the exact number of laid-off employees, but according to people associated with the team, 50-60 developers lost their jobs. This decision will greatly affect the company's operations, leading it to stop supporting several projects.
- Hi-Rez Studios is giving up further development of the games Smite, Paladins, and Rogue Company.
- All three games will remain active, at least for now, but the company has no plans for any new content for them.
- The studio is now focusing on Smite 2, although the team responsible for this project has also been affected by layoffs.
This is yet another job cut at Hi-Rez Studios in recent months. Previous layoffs - on a much smaller scale - were carried out in October of last year.
Smite 2 was released in early access in August last year. The game is available on PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. The production uses a free-to-play model with microtransactions.
A tough week for the industry
Hi-Rez is not the only company in the gaming industry that announced layoffs this week. Bandai Namco Entertainment in Japan has laid off over a hundred people, while the Iron Galaxy studio has reduced its crew by 66 developers. The situation of this team is so bad that this decision was necessary for its survival.
There have also been reports of layoffs at the Sony branch in California (most likely in San Mateo).
