There’s been a significant development unfolding at Hi-Rez, the company responsible for developing Smite 2. The company has apparently laid off between 50-60 employees, bringing an unsettling aura to many departments within the organization. This decision follows a similar string of layoffs back in October, making it a challenging time for the company’s workforce.
While it’s currently unclear exactly how many individuals have been affected by this move, those laid off were spread across diverse departments, including designers, quality assurance, marketing, and social media. The situation started coming to light as numerous individuals, who had until then been a part of Hi-Rez, began taking to social media platforms revealing their status.
Taking a hit alongside the employees, three of the company’s games – Rogue Company, Paladins, and Smite 1 have had their development halted. The move is indicative of a shift in focus and resource allocation within the organization to potentially other projects.
A message circulated online, allegedly from Hi-Rez CEO Stewart Chisam highlighted the scope of the effect. It stated that the cuts impacted the Rally Here, Evil Mojo, and Titan Forge Games divisions. This significant reduction, although not great news, ostensibly aims to streamline the development workflow.
As per the CEO, this was a strategic decision taken to channel more resources and energy into the latest game, Smite 2. Ensuing such cuts and resource reallocation, Chisam believes, the company would be able to maintain a steady flow of new content for Smite 2, which currently is in the early access stage.
While the development on Rogue Company, Paladins, and Smite 1 has ceased, players of the games can breathe a sigh of relief as the servers for these projects are not being taken down. The games will remain functional and accessible for the foreseeable future, yet are not slated for any notable updates, potentially dimming their longevity compared to titles with continued developer support.
This could be construed as Hi-Rez’s necessary maneuver to survive in an intensely competitive industry, a pattern not only exclusive to Hi-Rez but prevalent across various gaming companies. The layoff scene appears to be catching rhythm, for instance, other companies such as Iron Galaxy and 31st Union have also recently announced job cuts. Furthermore, 2K, the parent company of 31st Union, is reportedly taking drastic measures, such as sacking its studio head in response to an insipid reaction to Project Ethos.
Whether these moves will prove to be successful strategies remains an open question, especially given the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. The landscape is competitive, and companies, it seems, are resorting to such decisions in a bid to streamline operations and inject more creative energy into selected projects to retain a footing in the increasingly vast, rapidly evolving, and demanding field. The faith of many stakeholders now rests on Smite 2, the future flagship offering of Hi-Rez.
Leave a Reply