Bad news for fans of Hi-Rez’s remaining multiplayer games: The company is apparently undergoing another round of layoffs. We say “another” because Hi-Rez just did a round of cuts four months ago as part of an “internal reorganization and reprioritization” that affected workers on SMITE and Paladins in favor of SMITE 2, which is now in beta. Just a few days ago, however, Hi-Rez abruptly cut SMITE 1 from the Nintendo Switch on supposed quality grounds, which even then seemed a little weird.
But now, multiple developers from the company’s gamedev and esports sectors have reported they’ve been laid off. The OG SMITE subreddit has compiled a list of over 20 confirmed layoffs so far, including programmers and QA. We’re assuming that list will only continue to grow, as the layoffs were apparently sudden – as in, some workers on the studio stream yesterday were apparently laid off today.
On Discord, Hi-Rez esports manager Hinduman confirmed the layoffs hitting the teams and suggests the studio is doubling down on the company’s efforts on SMITE 2.
“Unfortunately, Hi-Rez is restructuring and conducting layoffs today, which will affect teams across the studio, including eSports. As changes within the company continue to unfold, we want to reaffirm our ongoing commitment to the future of competitive SMITE 2. The structure and competition will evolve from what players and fans may have been accustomed to throughout SMITE’s history, but organized competitive play will remain a high priority, and cash prizing will be provided by Hi-Rez. In the coming weeks, we will provide further updates regarding planned competitions, including details on prize pools and formats. Additionally, community tournament organizers can expect the finalization of Diamond Prize Pool support, which will soon be made available to help sustain and expand competitive opportunities across multiple tiers of play.”
Redditors also have a thread with nearly a thousand upvotes calling on Hi-Rez CEO Stewart Chisam to resign.
