Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios has been hit by layoffs according to affected members of staff, with the majority of job losses said to be from its mobile team.
News of the layoffs first surfaced after NetherRealm quality assurance analyst Tony Lazzara posted to LinkedIn, writing, “Unfortunately, yesterday NetherRealm’s mobile team was shut down. A ton of very talented people were put out of work.”
“We had live services on multiple titles such as Mortal Kombat Mobile, Injustice 2, and Mortal Kombat Onslaught,” Lazzara continued. “I was also affected.”
Following Lazzara’s post, a number of other NetherRealm employees have confirmed they were also affected by job cuts at the studio. “It hurts me to announce I’ve been laid off from NetherRealm Studios after about 10 years of working there,” Elizabeth Ramirez wrote. “I will be seeking new opportunities as an animator for games or film.
Software engineer Antonio De Francesco also added their voice to those confirming they were no longer employed by NetherRealm. “I am sad to share that I am looking for a new role,” they posted on LinkedIn, “and would greatly appreciate your support.”
NetherRealm has yet to publicly comment on reports of layoffs at the studio, so there’s no official confirmation of how widespread the job losses might be. However, Insider-Gaming claims at least 50 members of staff have been impacted by the studio’s cuts.
Word of lay offs at NetherRealm follows parent company Warner Bros. Discovery’s admission it was bracing for a “tough year” back in February, after it revealed sales of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had failed to meet its expectations. The cuts also appear to be a part of wider job losses at Warner Bros. Discovery, which reportedly laid off nearly 1000 employees this week.
2024 continues to be a devastating year for games industry employees, with over 10,000 people having lost their jobs so far. That’s compared to the 10,500 games industry workers who were laid off across the entirety of 2023.
