Hi-Rez Studios lays off 69 employees, shifts all development to Smite 2 while abandoning legacy titles
The End of an Era: Legacy Games Go Dark
Hi-Rez Studios has implemented devastating workforce reductions that permanently halt development on their flagship titles Smite and Paladins. The company confirmed that both games will transition to maintenance mode indefinitely, marking the conclusion of active support for these once-popular multiplayer experiences.
Subsidiary studios Titan Forge, Rally Here, and Evil Mojo Games all faced significant staffing cuts, resulting in complete cessation of development operations for Smite and Paladins. This represents a fundamental shift in Hi-Rez’s business strategy as they abandon their established titles.
While game servers will remain operational temporarily, both titles will no longer receive content patches, balance adjustments, or even critical bug fixes. This maintenance mode status effectively renders the games frozen in their current state, with developers confirming they will never work on these projects again.
This development termination follows Hi-Rez’s pattern of shutting down underperforming multiplayer titles over the past decade. Games like Rogue Company, Prophecy, Divine Knockout, and Realm Royale all showed initial promise but ultimately failed to sustain profitable player bases in the intensely competitive live service market.
Hi-Rez’s Troubled History and Current Crisis
Despite numerous failed ventures, Smite and Paladins remained Hi-Rez’s cornerstone products that maintained company relevance. These live service titles cultivated dedicated communities that provided stable revenue streams, allowing the studio to remain operational despite other projects underperforming.
The current crisis stems directly from Smite 2’s problematic development cycle and Hi-Rez’s desperate attempt to stabilize operations by rushing the sequel to market. This all-or-nothing approach triggered massive layoffs that effectively terminated every other game in the company’s portfolio.
The corporate restructuring places Smite and Paladins into what industry insiders call “maintenance mode” – a operational state where games remain playable but receive no developmental attention. This strategy aims to preserve existing content while minimizing ongoing costs, though it typically leads to gradual player base decline.
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The original Smite maintained active development for over ten years despite its age. Many players preferred the established first game over Smite 2’s beta, which suffered from technical issues and incomplete features that drove community members back to the familiar original.
Paladins, while receiving reduced support in recent years, continued delivering new heroes, balance changes, and map content periodically. Its cessation marks the end for one of the few hero shooters that genuinely competed with Overwatch before Marvel Rivals entered the market.
Devastating Workforce Reduction Details
A Hi-Rez representative confirmed the new direction via Discord, stating: “Smite 1, Paladins and Rogue Company servers will remain available for the foreseeable future, but no further major updates are currently planned for these games.”
The spokesperson elaborated that “Smite 2 will continue to be the focus of the newly streamlined operations. These reductions should enable a steady flow of new content and the continued development of Smite 2, while aligning team costs with revenues.”
The staffing cuts extended beyond legacy game teams, significantly impacting Smite 2’s development staff as well. Core designers, UI/UX artists, programmers, and marketing personnel across nearly every department experienced reductions.
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Smite content creator and broadcast talent Hayzer estimated 50-60 employees lost their positions across recent layoff waves, representing approximately half the company’s total workforce. “The people in charge have f**ked it,” Hayzer commented. “It’s normal people, normal folk who put their life into making a great game and a great esports product who pay the price.”
Subsequent verification confirmed 69 of Hi-Rez’s 144 employees received termination notices, amounting to a staggering 48% reduction in total staffing.
Smite 2 Esports Amid the Chaos
Despite heavy esports department cuts, competitive Smite 2 will continue in restructured form. Hi-Rez esports lead Hinduman stated: “As changes within the company continue to unfold, we want to reaffirm our ongoing commitment to the future of competitive Smite 2.”
He continued: “The structure of 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.”
These assurances arrive shortly after Smite 2’s inaugural competitive LAN event in Las Vegas featuring a $300,000 prize pool. However, the Smite esports website became inaccessible around the layoff announcement, with recently published content removed entirely.
Inside the Studio: Developer Reactions
CEO Stewart Chisam faces mounting criticism for his leadership decisions, particularly after deleting his Twitter account days before announcing the layoffs. This move generated suspicion and frustration among both employees and community members.
I’m so sorry to everyone. It is both tragic and unsurprising that Stew still stands today as a glaring testament of ineptitude. He seems endlessly enchanted with his own incompetence, like a blindfolded captain steering a ship, and every thing he crashes into is offloaded onto…
Professional Smite player fineokay expressed harsh criticism: “It is both tragic and unsurprising that Stew still stands today as a glaring testament of ineptitude. He seems endlessly enchanted with his own incompetence, like a blindfolded captain steering a ship,” labeling the CEO a “bumbling corporate clown.”
Former Hi-Rez executive Chris Larson indicated he had predicted the company’s direction, noting he wishes he was “listened to a few years ago” regarding organizational strategy, though he provided no specific details about his earlier concerns.
Remaining developers expressed complex emotions, with Clumzy—a key Smite 2 design team member—sharing feelings of survivor’s guilt while maintaining commitment to the project’s success.
For those dooming here. I understand the vitriol.
Ftr im not management . Im just a dev with a heavy sense of survivors guilt
Im also a dev that wants the game to succeed despite everything. It’s been my life and more for so long. I’m not giving uphttps://t.co/AbWpLQEKeH
By abandoning all projects except Smite 2, Hi-Rez executes a high-risk consolidation strategy that places the company’s entire future on their sequel’s success. This all-or-nothing approach represents either brilliant focus or catastrophic overcommitment depending on Smite 2’s market reception.
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