Mortal Kombat Studio NetherRealm Hit with Layoffs

The unfortunate trend in 2024 throughout the gaming industry of layoffs has impacted Mortal Kombat studio NeterRealm most recently, with the developer studio reportedly laying off their entire mobile team, despite the fact Mortal Kombat Mobile just received an update a couple of days ago that has been well-received by players. At least fifty people have been laid off, the latest impact of Warner Bros. Games downsizing following a severely lackluster debut for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League earlier this year. The news was shared online by multiple individuals effected by the mobile team closure who shared their thoughts on the situation through LinkedIn posts, as spotted initially by TechRaptor .

"Unfortunately, yesterday NetherRealm 's mobile team was shut down," a post from Tony Lazzara, former Quality Assurance Analyst, reads. "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. I was also affected. Every single person I've worked with on that team is an amazing collaborator, passionate, and very creative."

A fellow QA Analyst, Samantha Edward, also confirmed the news with a post of their own, stating that "Every single person I've worked with on that team is an amazing collaborator. Every single person brings skills with them that have been honed through fast-paced, high-stress mobile development cycles. We're all probably in shock, but a lot of us will be posting something like this today or soon. If you have any leads on a position that my wide technical skill set could be useful in, please feel free to reach out to me."

"I am sad to share that I am looking for a new role and would greatly appreciate your support," another former NetherRealm developer, Antonio De Francesco's post reads on LinkedIn. While their post does not indicate they were laid off, the timing would indicate that they were also part of this unfortunate reduction. "I deeply valued my time at WB/NetherRealm and am grateful to everyone who helped me grow in my career there."

TechRaptor also notes that a NetherRealm representative reached out to them to relay that their are "currently no plans to shutter Mortal Kombat Mobile and Injustice 2," however the studio says it's made the decision to "sunset" Mortal Kombat: Onslaught "in the coming months," thanking players who have stuck by the game.