After 'Marvel Rivals' Layoffs, NetEase Rumored To Pull Funding From Other Western Developers Because They Are "Lazy, Entitled, Slow And Woke"
A new rumor alleges that NetEase might pull funding from other western studios in the wake of it laying off Marvel Rivals developers at its Seattle studio.
It was originally reported by Marvel Rivals Game Director Thaddeus Sasser that NetEase laid off his entire Seattle-based team.
He wrote on LinkedIn, “This is such a weird industry... My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games... ...and were just laid off!”
As for what his team did he explained, “A lot of our time on the project was spent as sort of an "R & D" branch, coming up with new level design mechanics, gameplay mechanics, and so on.”
NetEase confirmed the layoffs and explained in a statement to IGN, “We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game.”
“This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals,” NetEase continued. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions.”
Next, it stated, “We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which continues to be led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience.”
It then shared, “We are investing more, not less, into the evolution and growth of this game. We’re excited to deliver new super hero characters, maps, features, and content to ensure an engaging live service experience for our worldwide player base.”
Now, a new rumor from Mark Kern aka Grummz indicates that the Chinese company might be pulling funding from multiple western studios because it believes them to be “lazy, entitled, slow and woke.”
Grummz shared on X, “Netease isn't just laying of the 6 person Marvel Rivals team. Netease is also pulling funding from Western (and potentially Japanese) gaming studios. The CEO is said to be very unsatisfied with Western developers, calling them ‘lazy, entitled, slow and woke’ according to a source I spoke with.”
He went on to share that 13 studios are under review: Fantastic Pixel Castle - (Greg Street's MMO project) Rebel Wolves - (Former Witcher devs) Worlds Untold - (shuttered in November) SkyBox Labs - (rumors of issues) Bad Brain Game Studios Jackalyptic Games - (Warhammer MMO) Jark of Sparks - Funding pulled in January Anchor Point Studios T-Minus Zero Entertainment BulletFarm Quantic Dream - (rumored to be in trouble) Spliced Anchor Point Studios.
“These are huge investments by Netease, founded by top veterans from AAA gaming, and mostly made during the high-flying game demand driven by Covid boredom. A demand which has since contracted,” he concluded. “We'll soon see what studios remain funded, and which are left scrambling for new investors in a climate where, according to my source, it is extremely difficult to find game investors.”
This rumor came in the week of reporting from Stephen Totilo at Game File who claimed on February 21st that “NetEase plans to divest itself of the majority of its overseas teams, leading to the potential closure of more than a dozen game studios, if they can’t secure new post-NetEase funding.”
A NetEase spokesman informed the outlet that “all studios and projects are in constant eview and evaluation, and NetEase will determine changes needed to be made throughout that process.”
Furthermore, NetEase’s CEO William Ding noted during a conference call that the company is still committed to support “really high-quality studios and really master creators.”
“That is our strategy,” he added. “There’s no change on that.”
However, a report from Bloomberg revealed that Ding “has curtailed support for about a dozen games and shut down so many projects that NetEase studios in China may not release any major titles next year.”
While these moves might seem to be just related to the video game industry, it is also quite possible they have geopolitical ramifications. President Donald Trump and his administration recently imposed a 10% tariff on China claiming it was “in response to China’s intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and other unreasonable behavior.”
What do you make of this new rumor regarding NetEase cutting funding from a number of its western studios?
NEXT: New 'Elder Scrolls VI' Rumors Claim To Reveal Setting As Well As New Features
When you can't create a game without it being woke, is it any wonder it won't sell? It's not hard. All you have to do is make a game that almost everyone can play without it being trans, LGBT+, racial, or stupid.
This is what these devs get for accepting Chinese money. The CCP has no interest to fund their enemies - they want to destroy them.