Smite 2 Studio Hi-Rez Lays Off President and Other Executives

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Summary

  • Hi-Rez Studios laid off its president and other senior managers to address workforce challenges according to Alex Cantatore.
  • Previous layoffs impacted lower-level developers, but this time it’s executives that were affected.
  • Cutbacks won’t change focus on Smite 2, with regular updates planned despite management changes.

Hi-Rez Studios, the team behind “Smite 2,” has let go of its president and other high-ranking officials in their latest round of reductions. The company has experienced various workforce issues over the past year, leading to tough choices by leadership, and unfortunately, those choices now affect the leadership team as well. In an unusual move for the industry, Hi-Rez Studios’ recent layoffs are targeting executives rather than lower-level developers.

It seems that the Smite 2 team has experienced another round of workforce reductions this year. Earlier in February, Hi-Rez Studios reduced their staff by as many as 70 employees while they shifted their focus from ongoing projects like Paladins and Rogue Company to prioritize Smite 2. The specific number of employees affected by those layoffs remains uncertain, but it was sufficient to cause a significant amount of backlash, leading then-president Stewart Chisam to deactivate his Twitter account.

As a dedicated fan, I was keeping a close eye on updates about my favorite gaming studio, Hi-Rez. The buzz around potential layoffs started circulating on social media before Alex Cantatore, an executive producer at Hi-Rez, officially confirmed it in a comment on a Reddit post. He explained that the board found there were too many senior managers for the company’s current size.

Looking back, it seems like the team has undergone some changes over the past year. For instance, the Smite 2 studio had already let go of employees in October 2024 and then again in February 2025. It’s not surprising to see that the team might have been scaled down.

Recently, Hi-Rez made some tough decisions, letting go of Chisam, executive producer Travis Brown, a manager known as “Radar,” and two senior managers from the RallyHere side. This move certainly seems like an effort to streamline operations and adapt to changing circumstances.

Hi-Rez Studios Lets Go of Five Upper-Level Leaders as Company Shrinks

According to Cantatore, the cost reductions do not signal a shift in the company’s overall direction. Instead, the team is committed to continuing their primary focus on “Smite 2,” with a goal of introducing one to two new deities to the game every week, as they have been doing recently. Earlier this year, “Smite 2” transitioned to a seasonal system for player rewards, offering regularly updated content, and it appears that the leadership changes won’t disrupt this approach in the future. The players can expect minimal impact on their gaming experience, as Cantatore guaranteed that the layoffs have no direct effect on those working on the game or their objectives related to “Smite 2.”

Despite some relief among Smite 2 enthusiasts about the game’s future, ongoing layoffs in the gaming sector underscore a troubling pattern within the industry. For instance, People Can Fly, the studio behind Bulletstorm, has recently announced job cuts. Similar situations have arisen at Microsoft, Playtonic, Codemasters, and Respawn Entertainment this year as well. The gaming industry is notoriously difficult to thrive in, with even executive positions feeling the pinch, as evidenced by Hi-Rez’s recent layoff news.

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2025-06-02 16:23