NetEase has released a statement following the shock Marvel Rivals layoffs last night.Marvel Rivals - the free-to-play shooter based on characters from within the Marvel universe - has been a huge success since its release in December. On its opening weekend just two months ago, the game welcomed an astonishing 10 million players to the fray. Meanwhile, at this very moment in time there are still 121,646 heroes making their way in the game via Steam. And Marvel Rivals hasn't just boasted high player numbers. A report in January estimated that Marvel Rivals had made over $130m in revenue during its first month.However, despite this success, which is even more impressive when you consider how other online shooter games have struggled to get off the mark recently, NetEase laid off an unspecified number of the Marvel Rivals development team last night, including game director Thaddeus Sasser. The news was broken by Sasser himself, before other members of the development team went on to share word of their situation.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Does Anyone Really Want Long Games Anymore? Watch on YouTubeThe Marvel Rivals publisher has now broken its silence on the layoffs, calling them a "difficult decision" made to "optimise development efficiency" for the game."This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals," NetEase said. "We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions."It added that the "core" development team in China "remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience" for Marvel Rivals players."We are investing more, not less, into the evolution and growth of this game," NetEase continued. "We're excited to deliver new super hero characters, maps, features, and content to ensure an engaging live service experience for our worldwide player base."To see this content please enable targeting cookies.As reported last night, the job cuts within Marvel Rivals' western-based development team follow a recent pattern by NetEase, which has made broader reconsiderations to its overseas investments and studios.In November of last year, Mac Walters - the veteran writer and producer who worked on Mass Effect for almost two decades - announced a "pause" in operations at his NetEase-backed AAA game studio, Worlds Untold. Then, last month, Jar of Sparks - the Seattle-based "AAA" studio established by Halo Infinite head of design Jerry Hook back in 2022 - halted work its currently-unannounced first title as it searched for a new publishing partner, stating it's looking to "find all of our team new homes" as a result.More recently, the NetEase-backed and Sweden-based developer Liquid Swords announced an unspecified number of layoffs, before it had even released its first game.