Hi-Rez Studios is laying off further employees and ending development on Smite, Paladins, and Rogue Company

Towards the end of 2024, Hi-Rez Studios laid off employees under the pretence that this decision would enable the company to properly commit to Smite 2 and ensure its future well into the 2030s. However, this is seemingly not enough as now the publisher and parent company of Titan Forge Games, Evil Mojo Games, and First Watch Games is laying off additional employees.

This was confirmed in a Reddit thread where a bunch of social media posts by the affected developers were gathered into one place, seemingly revealing that around 30 individuals have been laid off.

The exact reason for this change has been noted by Hi-Rez in a Discord post shared by X user Hocky2001, which states: "This was a difficult decision aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of our studios."

It continues: "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 revenue."

As for what this means for the other games that Hi-Rez offers, we're informed that while the Smite 1, Paladins, and Rogue Company servers will remain active, the games will now receive no further content additions or support.

Hi-Rez adds: "We understand this may come as a disappointment to many of you, but know that Paladins has an incredibly special place in our hearts. We plan to keep the servers and currently available content running as long as possible to allow you to continue to enjoy the game."

This week alone, we've already reported on rumoured layoffs at PlayStation and also the cuts affecting Iron Galaxy as well.