After layoffs, Hi-Rez will focus entirely on Smite 2!

The gaming industry continues with its layoffs and this time Hi-Rez Studios announces new layoffs. After the departure of more than 70 employees, the company is expected to slow down updates on some of its main games, giving full priority to Smite 2, which is one of the company's big promises.

This is according to a message posted on the Hi-Rez Studios eSports Discord, shared here by Smite professional Hayzer, and comments provided to Kotaku by studio president Stewart Chisam. The message, from an admin named Hinduman, says: "The Smite 1, Paladins, and Rogue Company servers will remain available in the near future, but no other major updates are planned for these games."

“We understand that this may be disappointing for many of you, but know that Paladins has an incredibly special place in our hearts. We plan to keep the servers and the currently available content running for as long as possible to allow you to continue enjoying the game.”

Chisam would later confirm to Kotaku that about 70 people are being laid off. In the r/Smite subreddit, a list of impacted employees is being collected. This includes balance designers like Lexie "LermyWermy" Lerman, as well as eSports employees like broadcast producer Billy Basikally. This is not exactly the first time there have been issues at Hi-Rez Studios, which seems to be putting all their eggs in one basket.

Last October, the studio laid off employees to ensure “long-term success”, while also announcing the closure of two games. Paladins, in particular, was not seeing many major updates, with the most recent champion, Omen, being released in 2023. This is not to say there haven't been patches, of course — from what I can tell, the game developers have mainly focused on bug fixes and quality of life improvements. It's a bit sad looking back, improving a game for a future it won't actually see.

Chisam continues to write: "We know this is an exceptionally difficult time to find work in the industry, which makes it even more devastating to have let go of so many loyal and talented developers. We explored every angle available to avoid these cuts, but it was necessary to ensure we survived in this tumultuous environment."

Instead, Smite 2 will be the "primary focus of the recently streamlined operations" and — man, there's that word again, "streamlined". I don't want to sound cynical, but I'm starting to develop an inverse Pavlovian response to the words streamlined, lean, and agile as a result — it sounds a bit empty considering Chisam's statements last year, where he stated that the layoffs then "reflect a failure in my leadership, and one for which I take personal responsibility." In this case, responsibility apparently means, uh, doing the same thing a few months later.