Analytic Dreamz: Notorious Mass Effect - "MARVEL RIVALS ENTIRE SEATTLE TEAM LAID OFF BY NETEASE DESPITE SUCCESS"

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticIn this segment of Notorious Mass Effect, Analytic Dreamz explores Marvel Rivals hitting 40 million players since its Dec. 6, 2024, launch, with 10 million in just 72 hours. Season 1 and a Feb. 21, 2025, update bring new characters, maps, and ranked tweaks. Yet, NetEase’s Feb. 19 layoffs of the Seattle team, despite $2.9 billion in revenue, signal trouble. Analytic Dreamz unpacks NetEase’s global cuts, Disney licensing woes, and the gaming industry’s instability, even amid Marvel Rivals’ success.Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Now it pains me to bring you all this story because of course I believe that what net ease has done with Marvel rivals will go down in history will go down in history as being one of the most pivotal changes in the video game landscape. Now only because of Overwatch 2 just being a tremendous flop to the point where it left the flood is open for a mobile to come in and dominate the space. but the way that NetEase not only came in and dominated the mobile, MoBA space, but also reinvigorated the comic book fans to the point where a lot of these different costumes and things of that nature as far as not even costumes, characters,

they're going back to the original comics to read more and to learn more about these characters. Because from the Mova fan base, from the Marvel fan base, they've combined to make one of the most popular games in the world as Marvel Rivals is still the fourth most played game on the Steam platform with

214,000 players concurrent and a 24 hour peak of 437,000. Now of course, on PlayStation Marvel Rivals is the fourth most played game on a PlayStation platform and when it comes to mobile games even mark a Marvel contest

of champions is still going crazy. So shout out to Marvel Contest of Champions. But with that being said, Marvel Rivals has announced something that we have to cover because it pains me that it pains me that I have to give negative sentiments towards net ease, but it has to happen. As if you don't know, all those metrics I just read off the increasing amount of revenue that they have generated from this live service game did not stop. them from laying off its entire entire Seattle-based team that was working on Marvel rivals so despite the game success guess what they had to cut the entire Seattle-based team that was working on Marvel rivals sad day in history but of course this was such a big story that the CEO came out and he basically said

that net ease considered canceling Marvel rivals entirely due to the licensing costs with Disney. So I guess Disney was taxing them to the point where now they may have if they never released the game, I don't know if we could have lived with what we would have seen as far as the pre-alpha or the beta footage. If that would have came out and they would have announced that the game's not coming out because it costs too much to use Spider-Man, Captain America and Iron Man. I don't know what we would have deal with ourselves because this game is absolutely phenomenal and I think the gamers will probably riot if they ever take this away from us. So, so I'll put that out the way. Net ease specifically cut a lot of jobs in

multiple overseas studios including visions of manor and untold worlds. And then the future of Japanese studio funding as far as Tosh Shihiro Negoshi's team is being pooled and then the jackalyptic games warhammer MMO that remains active but ne'eve net ease may divest more overseas assets so it's very interesting how when you get to the future overall impact of Marvel rivals it's going to be making net ease a lot of revenue in a foreseeable future but to coincide with that they're laying off everybody in the mama while the CEO is just out here basically saying that hey we was going to cancel the whole game entirely, so y'all deal with it. Like, I don't want to hear anything about us cutting specific teams that was working on Marvel rivals, because we was about

to cancel the entire game. Like Disney charging us an arm and the leg to use Spider-Man, Captain America, and all these other popular superheroes. So with that being said, in all honesty. I would say this is a big deal, but I think they're basically knowing how much workload is going to be needed in the future. And they're probably letting the other teams go because they want to focus more on their in-house studios. I think it's not as much of a big deal. But because of me covering Bob Eiger in the way I did as far as Disney laying off 7,000 plus employees and then wanting the estimated cost they was going to cut. was 7.3 billion.

So that was the target goal of the expenses they wanted to cut. But now you add that to the point where, well, now you add that Bob Eiger received a 30% increase from 2023 to 2024 as far as his compensation. And I just don't add up. How are you cutting everybody in the mama? But the CEO's getting raised. So when that ease is out here cutting everybody in the mama

and the CEOs out here like, hey, we were just going to cancel the whole game entirely. It's almost like, we don't care about, brother. Why are you cutting these teams when Marvel Rivals is making a crazy amount of revenue? I asked me that because I seemingly, well, I still can't come up with a reason to why they would cut teams other than wanting more in-house studios in Japan as far as not having it overseas. Maybe it's a work employee cost. Maybe it's like the payroll is exorbitant compared to their in-house studios. I don't know what it is, but it's very peculiar that you would have one of the top selling games in the world currently and then announce layoffs.

It just doesn't make sense to me. So as far as recent updates, I don't know if I've covered this. Actually, I did. I remember covering it was actually leaked updates about Bar for rivals. but basically the official update is out now obviously as the human torch in the thing and the main thing about that is there's a new central park map featuring dracula and of course blade he's locked up on black history month that's kind of crazy but uh there's a lot of quality of life changes in general um there was no rank reset so whatever rank you had at the end of the midseason you will keep for the uh continuance of the of that particular season and There's new rewards and updated matchmaking system. They always say that. That's another thing.

I would go on my soapbox because I don't know if y'all know, which you should. Make sure click my link to your bio, follow me on my social media. It's because I be streaming on both my YouTube channels of my Twitter, kick, and Twitch, right? So make sure to follow, hit the bell icon to be notified while I be playing Marvel rivals. Because I feel like I'm pretty good. You know, I ain't going to lie to you. I feel like I'm pretty nice when it comes to Marvel rivals. But recently, I've been noticing even some of the pro players have started to point out the matchmaking system is trying to do the best it can to just keep you on a game versus giving you just random odds.

And what I mean by that is there's whole videos and documentaries out there, not documentaries, but basically conspiracy theories are out there saying that every time you win and let's say you put up a phenomenal performance, they're going to put you with some trash players to balance it out, right? which I think it should just be random, but if it comes out that every system is using that, like imagine if Call the Duty was using that, or if other games was using it, and NetE's is the only one being pointed out for it. I feel like that would be pretty interesting. So, but that is a huge deal that's happening right now.

People are calling out NetE's matchmaking service to keep you on the game rather than giving you fair, uh, fair odds as far as in every match. So that's basically it wasn't too much again to, Just know that NetE's is laying off everybody in the mama while Marvel Rivals is one of the most popular games in the world. So that be it said, click my link to your bio. Let me know one of my social media is.

What do you think about Marvel rivals contributing to more than 2.9 billion of NetE's earnings, but still NetE's laid off a ton of the employees. What do you feel about that? And what do you think is the main reason for all of these layouts from NetE's?