Hi-Rez, the publisher behind Smite and Paladins, has conducted decimating layoffs that might have pushed Paladins off a cliff edge.
Check out social media and you’ll be able to find swathes of Hi-Rez employees sharing their unemployment stories. Today. The outfit behind Smite, Smite 2, Paladins, and Realm Royale seems to have instigated a round of layoffs that have had huge impact across the Smite and Paladins teams. Initial news of the layoffs came in via social media and mostly seemed to impact developers working on both SMITE and SMITE 2. The details came as something of a surprise, with SMITE 2 still in rapid development, and can be tracked on the Reddit mega thread, but the news took an even more apocalyptic turn later last night.
A message on the Paladins Discord server seemed to drop some more serious news for players of Paladins. The long running hero shooter looks like it’s essentially in maintenance mode now. The note from the server admin seemed to confirm that development on paladins has now entirely halted, with no real future in sight for the title.
@everyone Due to the nature of this announcement, I’ll be using this ping for the one and only time.
Some of you have heard news of layoffs impacting the Evil Mojo team, and for those who have not yet, active development of Paladins is being halted. No more major updates are expected, however the servers will remain online. Although we do not know what the future will hold, we will remain available for users to discuss what is available to us.
As a result, a number of channels on this discord have been archived, mainly pertaining to things that would require development and updates to be expected (such as bug reports, game feedback, and event pass giveaways). This will leave it more manageable as the server continues on for a place focused around players sharing their passion for a game we all remember, sometimes fondly, sometimes with frustration (never forget OB64).
I know the latest news is disappointing, but please remember the people who work on this game, who are now in a situation where they are searching for a way to continue their lives. The Developers of Paladins worked very hard to maintain this game in the way they could, and we can only hope to see them flourish in the next steps they take.
Thank you all, and we’ll still see you in The Realm.
While servers seem likely to remain on the long running future looks grim. While we’re still waiting on a full and frank note from Hi-Rez, further confirmation came through in the form of Reddit, found here.
Despite not seeing a new map since Dawnforge, the massive layoffs are unexpected and they decimate developer Evil Mojo and draw a line under a range of titles. Paladins looks the most precarious, after a couple of years of beta and a full launch back in 2018. While this fantasy hero brawler is a tad more scuff than the likes of Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals, it’s had a solid free to play fan base for that time and likely for the remaining days it has left. Keep an eye here and over on Reddit for the most up to date information on the Hi-Rez layoffs. Our condolences to everybody impacted by corporate indifference of the gaming industry.
