ALPHARETTA — In less than two months, dozens of employees of an Alpharetta AAA game studio will be out of work.
Hi-Rez Studios, the makers of games like Paladins, Tribes Ascend, SMITE and SMITE 2 and more filed notice with state officials that they’d be laying off nearly 70 staff members between now and May.
The first round of layoffs will finish on April 7, with the remainder to finish by May 7.
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Hi-Rez Studios was founded in 2005, “to create exceptional online interactive entertainment and is now one of the largest video game companies in the Southeast United States,” according to its LinkedIn page.
“Hi-Rez was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment and is now one of the largest video game companies in the Southeast United States, with three main divisions: Titan Forge Games, Evil Mojo Games, and RallyHere Interactive,” the company page reads.
The company reportedly announced staff reductions for all three of the game companies under the Hi-Rez umbrella.
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The message said that SMITE 2, which launched in May 2024, will remain a priority for the company and that staff “reductions should enable a steady flow of new content and the continued development” of the game, while ensuring team costs are more in line with company revenue.
In an attempt to verify the message’s veracity, Channel 2 Action News shared a copy with company president Stewart Chisam, who said that while he “cannot speak to the context in which” the message was being shared, he confirmed “we made a similar statement on a private Discord to a group of loyal players that often create content for our game.”
In a fuller statement on the layoffs themselves, Chisam told Channel 2 Action News:
“Over the past two years, the video game industry has experienced a historic downturn. Sadly, this has affected our business and our games. Today, we had to let go a number of very talented employees to help ensure we can survive in this tumultuous climate and continue to serve our loyal game communities. We’re working as much as we can to support employees impacted by this necessary move.”
Reactions to the news from Hi-Rez Studios staff online were emotional and included comments from staff who’d been at the company for as much as 12 years.
Like many others today, my Smite journey has come to an end. For 12 years it has been an absolutely incredible experience. Working alongside so many unbelievably talented and creative people, we achieved countless amazing things that I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of. pic.twitter.com/kogpoPDXmM
— Xioden (@TheXioden) February 6, 2025
Don't really use this site any more, but, since it's technically my most used social, I'll mention that, after 10.5 years, I and a fair number of other folks were unfortunately laid off from Hi-Rez Studios
— Alex martin (@Xelan101) February 6, 2025
Seems it's time to finish that portfolio update I'd been putting off
I was impacted by the Hi-Rez layoffs today as well. I feel really proud to have been a part of something I loved for 8 years, and I'll miss it and so many of you so much. 💔
— rolycat (@rolycatx) February 6, 2025
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