Brutal Game Layoffs Continue With Smite Developer Hi-Rez

The ongoing wave of layoffs in the video game industry continues with Hi-Rez Studios, the developer of the Smite games, announcing it will be letting go of an unspecified number of employees. The layoffs come shortly after Hi-Rez released MOBA sequel Smite 2 in paid early access.

Via PC Gamer, Hi-Rez hasn’t specified how many people will be impacted by the layoffs, but said that they will affect all parts of the company. “This will disproportionately impact those in marketing and publishing roles, as well as some from our Evil Mojo, G&A, and Titan Forge divisions,” Hi-Rez CEO Stewart Chisam said on X. Only small teams will be left to support Smite and Paladins, while the company shifts its major focus to Smite 2.

“The game team roles impacted disproportionally affect our team working on cosmetic skin content and system features.” Chisam said, adding that development on Smite 2 will focus on gameplay over new cosmetics. “We are almost exclusively prioritizing gameplay development in the near term–such as new modes and gods–as well as quality improvements–over some cosmetic and monetization features previously planned in the run-up to the game’s free-to-play launch next year.”

Chisam notes that there is still a large team working on Smite 2 despite the layoffs, saying that the dev team is larger than the one that worked on the original Smite through most of its life cycle. “Our goal for Smite 2 in the near term is to create the best possible game experience for our community and a game that provides joy to players and can sustain itself long into the 2030s.”

“This news has a real human impact at a tough time for workers in this industry,” Chisam said in his post. “Each impacted individual is a talented and dedicated professional who has poured their heart and soul into our games. Letting them go is a heartbreaking decision, reflects a failure in my leadership, and one for which I take personal accountability.”

The last year has been a difficult one for workers in the games industry, with tens of thousands of layoffs reported across 2023 and 2024, and they don’t seem to be slowing down. August saw both Ubisoft and Bungie cutting staff, while Microsoft laid off another 650 people from its gaming division in September. Former Sony executive Chris Deering came under fire for his comments on recent rounds of layoffs after he suggested impacted workers should drive an Uber.