Report: NetEase’s Montreal studio hit by layoffs, QA roles reportedly affected

NetEase appears to have made layoffs at its Montreal studio, with multiple former employees saying they were let go over the past week. NetEase has not publicly confirmed the cuts.

The reports come via Game Developer, which rounded up posts from staff who said they were impacted. Based on those statements, the layoffs seem to have primarily hit quality assurance roles.

Several QA workers have posted about losing their jobs on LinkedIn, including QA project manager Scott Killingsworth, senior QA lead Stefano Magnabosco, and senior QA specialist Pavlina Rahneva. None of the posts mention how many people were affected, and there is no indication from NetEase about whether other teams at the studio were impacted.

The news follows a rough stretch for NetEase’s overseas operations late last year, when the company shut down or divested multiple studios, including T-Minus Zero Entertainment, Bad Brain Game Studios, and Fantastic Pixel Castle. T-Minus Zero later resurfaced under new ownership after being acquired by a small group of veteran directors and founders.

More broadly, the layoffs add to an ongoing wave of job cuts across the games industry in 2026, with nearly 1,000 layoffs already tracked this year. Netease is the developer and publisher of Marvel Rivals, which became a massive hit last year. While the game’s numbers are down from launch, it remains one of the most popular games on Steam.