NetEase is cutting jobs again. While not officially announced by the Chinese company, a number of employees have taken to social media in recent days to confirm the layoffs at NetEase Montreal.
Right now, the only known employees to be impacted are on the QA staff.
“Last week I was impacted by the layoffs at NetEase and my time with them has come to an end,” one former QA Project Manager said on LinkedIn. “It was a great experience and I’m thankful I was able to grow as I did.”
Said another, “Unfortunately I have been affected by another round of layoffs, and my time at NetEase Games has come to an end.”
Insider Gaming has reached out multiple times to NetEase for additional context on the scale of the layoffs. As of writing, however, no response has been received.
More NetEase Cuts Could Be Coming
While the NetEase Montreal layoffs are the ones known to be happening recently, it’s not a guarantee that more aren’t on the way. In recent months, Insider Gaming has been speaking with a number of sources around NetEase that have expressed worry and concern over the future.
NetEase has publicly said they would continue to support studios after a number of layoffs in 2025. However, sources say that the company is continuing to look at divesting from its Western studios. There is an increased desire to invest money domestically due to the recent success of Chinese-developed games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Black Myth: Wukong.
That would see studio layoffs, sales, and, potentially, closures. Insider Gaming has learned of two studios that NetEase is having talks about, including one that is working on a popular IP. Those who spoke on one of the studios said that “everything is on the table” with its overseas studios.
What do you make of the layoffs and concerns at NetEase? Leave your thoughts down in the comments below, and join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming Discord.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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