Summary
Hi-Rez Studios, the publisher behind the well-received MOBA titleSmite, has confirmed laying off an undisclosed number of employees across multiple studios. Being the parent company of five different subsidiaries, Hi-Rez Studios oversees the teams behind a number of different games, includingSmite,Smite 2,Paladins, andRogue Company.
Similar to the past few years, the layoff wave has continued taking victims in 2025 as well. After giants likeUbisoft announced job cutsin January, Hi-Rez Studios has now entered the fray with layoffs of its own. The latter’s move affects three different studios in its portfolio and impacts the future of its various online titles. Alarmingly, the announcement also marks the second time the company has trimmed down its workforce in the past four months, after last doing so in October 2024.
In a Discord announcement, captured by Twitter user Hocky2001 (viaGame Developer), Hi-Rez Studios revealed that they laid off an unknown number of employees across Evil Mojo Games, Rally Here, and Titan Forge Games. It mentioned that the “difficult decision” stemmed from a “challenging” market and was taken with the “long-term sustainability” of these studios in mind. Interestingly, this echoed a similarstatement issued by theRogue Companypublisher at the time of its October layoffs. Moreover, the American company shared that its “newly streamlined operations” would focus on bringing new content toSmite 2here onward, whereas the originalSmite,Paladins, andRogue Companywould receive “no further major updates.” However, the latter games' server support is expected to remain in place going into the future, with Hi-Rez committing to keep the game accessible for “as long as possible.”
Reported Number of Layoffs Soar After Smite Creator’s Announcement
Although initially around 30 Hi-Rez employees had taken to social media to share that they had been laid off, this number has grown over the past week. Per the latestInsiderGamingreport, the number of axed employees could be close to 70, according to its sources. Notably, since facing backlash post the layoff announcement, the CEO of theSmite 2publisher, Stewart Chisam, also deactivated his Twitter account.
WithSmite 2only recently exiting its early access period and releasing officially on July 15, 2025, Hi-Rez’s decision to prioritize the free-to-play title’s development is understandable given its newness. At the same time, it would be interesting to see how long the American publisher can do that while still supporting its other online games. Just weeks after its previous layoffs in late 2024, Hi-Rez Studios had communicated its decision toshut down Realm Royale Reforged’s servers in the following year. So, an announcement like that related toPaladins,Rogue Company, orSmitein the coming months may not be unlikely.
SMITE
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the Battleground of the Gods.100+ Gods: Unleash each deity’s unique strategies, legendary weapons, and earth-shattering powers. Rain lightning down upon your foes as Zeus, assassinate from the shadows as Loki, or transform and trick your foes as the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Which God will you choose?Unique Perspective: Unlike other MOBAs, SMITE puts you directly onto the battlefield with a third-person action viewpoint. From blind-side ambushes to aimed shots, a new pantheon of strategic possibilities awaits.Become Godlike: Never played a battle arena before? Don’t worry. Auto-buy, auto-level, and the deathmatch-like Arena mode let you jump right into divine MOBA action. Aspiring pro? Top the ladders, join a competitive team, and you too could be playing at the SMITE World Championship.
