There are many layoffs at the developer of Paladins, as Hi-Rez prefers to focus on SMITE 2.
At the developer Hi-Rez, there are some major changes – but likely more negative for those affected. The developer of SMITE, Paladins, and SMITE 2 has announced that many positions will be eliminated. Especially the team of Paladins will be reduced, as the developers are to shift their focus primarily to SMITE 2.
What is Paladins? Paladins was Hi-Rez’s answer to Overwatch, the then highly successful hero shooter from Blizzard. Unlike Overwatch, Paladins was Free2Play at the time and focused on customizable abilities for the characters.
The basic gameplay is similar: One had to escort a payload or capture certain points while combining the various abilities of the champions to secure victory.
What is changing at Hi-Rez? In a long announcement from Hi-Rez, it is stated that some restructuring must be undertaken “to ensure the long-term success of Hi-Rez,” with a focus on SMITE 2.
According to CEO Stewart Chisam, these decisions were “difficult but necessary.” The affected developers should not see this as “personal failures,” but rather the decisions are Stewart’s “failure in leadership,” for which he “takes personal responsibility.” However, Stewart does not mention what consequences arise from this responsibility – if any.
What does this mean for the games? While there will still be updates for Paladins and SMITE (1), they are likely to be smaller, and in the case of SMITE, it will ultimately also phase out, as one is sure that sooner or later, a complete switch to SMITE 2 will occur. This at least seems to be the only logical step if Hi-Rez is consolidating resources here.
At least: There are also a few changes for SMITE 2. The team responsible for developing new cosmetics is also shrinking. The focus will be more on gameplay improvements, new features, and new gods. It seems that monetization through cosmetics is being reduced a bit. At least for now.
Is this a good strategy? SMITE has long been one of the major MOBAs and is still quite popular today. So it is not surprising that Hi-Rez is doing everything to ensure that the successor is at least as successful and thus comes into focus for development. However, the MOBA landscape has changed since then and there are also some larger competitors, like the new Deadlock. Whether SMITE 2 can dominate the field – or at least secure a large piece of the pie – remains to be seen.
It is of course unfortunate for everyone who enjoyed playing Paladins and will have to live with significantly fewer or at least much smaller updates in the future, which will likely keep the game alive rather than actually develop it further.
