Report: Staff laid off at NetEase after relaunched Hyper Front fails to meet expectations

Update: NetEase has told GamesIndustry.biz that no staff has been laid off, but instead transferred to other departments.

The publisher has also clarified that Operation Apocalypse is not a revamped Hyper Front, but a separate game that launched in February this year and was shut down in October.

We have reached out for further clarification.

Original story: NetEase has reportedly laid off an undisclosed number of staff as a result of mobile title Hyper Front (also known as Operation Apocalypse) underperforming in China.

This is according to various Chinese publications and sources close to the company, as reported by the South China Morning Post, with the layoffs reportedly affecting staff at NetEase's Shenzhen office.

Operation Apocalypse launched in China on August 30, with NetEase reportedly announcing last month that the project was to be shut down as it didn't meet its expectations.

The number of layoffs is unclear but the sources said it didn't represent many employees.

Operation Apocalypse is among four games that NetEase announced it would discontinue in mainland China, also including the local version of Pokémon Quest.

Hyper Front was previously targeted by a Riot lawsuit for allegedly copying Valorant, with the game subsequently shut down. The title was then relaunched with revamped visuals and the new name in China.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to NetEase for comment and clarification but the company did not get back to us in time for publication.

NetEase-owned studio Worlds Untold announced last week that it was pausing its operations, having been launched in 2023.

NetEase also reportedly shut down Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios earlier this year, with director Ryosuke Yoshida announcing yesterday he had quit to join Square Enix.