Hi-Rez undergoes lay-offs, Smite esports impacted

Hi-Rez Studios has undergone massive layoffs that appear to have negatively impacted the Smite 2 esports scene.

Hi-Rez is the American developer behind popular titles like Smite, Paladins, and Rogue Company. The workforce reduction extended to its subsidiaries, including Rally Here, Evil Mojo Games, and Titan Forge Games. The announcement first appeared on Discord and was then shared by Twitter user Hocky2001.

“This was a difficult decision aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of our studios,” the message from the company stated.

Moving forward, Hi-Rez will focus only on Smite 2, which is currently in early access, while pausing updates for Smite 1, Paladins, and Rogue Company. Although the servers for these games will remain online for now, this appears to be temporary.

“We plan to keep the servers and currently available content running as long as possible to allow you to continue to enjoy the game,” the official statement continued.

According to Smite content creator and coach Hayzer, this is the studio’s third round of layoffs, with the latest being the largest. It affected around 50% of employees across all departments, including marketing, game design, production, and more.

Adding to the controversy, CEO Stewart Chisam deleted his X (Twitter) account just days before the layoffs were announced, drawing backlash from both employees and the community. Gamers accused Hi-Rez of not caring about its fans.

Laid-off staff members are now on an eight-week notice period and are seeking new opportunities in the industry.