Hi-Rez Studios is laying off staff to 'ensure' Smite 2's long-term success

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Hi-Rez Studios has made “some” layoffs, its CEO announced Stewart Chisam.

A specific number of reductions was not revealed, but he said Hi-Rez's marketing and publishing teams were affected. Cosmetic Content and System Features Team at Evil Mojo Branches (Paladins), G&A and Titan Forge (Hit) were hit.

Chisam said the “difficult, but necessary changes” were made specifically for the benefit Punish 2. Hi-Rez wants to ensure the long-term success of the MOBA sequel in the hopes that it will “sustain long into the 2030s.”

All available for Punish 2

From his words it seems like an “all hands on deck” situation: Hi-Rez will dedicate itself “almost exclusively” to Punish 2 gameplay development and quality improvements ahead of its launch in 2025.

Consequentially, Punish 2 previously planned aesthetic and monetization features have been put on the back burner. Meanwhile, both Paladins and the original Hit (which Hi-Rez had planned to do continue working along with the sequel) will receive “light updates” from small teams for the foreseeable future.

“While these changes are difficult, we believe they are necessary and we will emerge stronger,” Chisam concluded. “Thank you for standing by us as we build the future of Hi-Rez e Punish 2.”

You can read Chisam's statement on the layoffs Here.

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