Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios affected by layoffs

Former developers at NetherRealm Studios, best known for Mortal Kombat, have revealed that the company has laid off an unconfirmed number of employees.

The details:

• Quality assurance analyst Tony Lazzara confirmed on LinkedIn that he was among the cuts, with the studio's mobile team reportedly closing entirely. "Unfortunately, yesterday NetherRealm's mobile team was shut down. A ton of very talented people were put out of work,” Lazzara wrote. "We had live services on multiple titles such as Mortal Kombat Mobile, Injustice 2, and Mortal Kombat Onslaught. I was also affected."

• Following Lazzara's post, more of the studio's employees, including software engineer Antonio De Francesco and animator Elizabeth Ramirez, also began sharing news of the layoffs. "It hurts me to announce I’ve been laid off from NetherRealm Studios after about 10 years of working there," Ramirez wrote. "I will be seeking new opportunities as an animator for games or film.”

• Although NetherRealm has yet to publicly comment on the layoffs or the closure of its mobile division, Insider Gaming believes at least 50 employees have been affected by the decision. Warner Bros. Discovery, the studio's parent company, is said to have laid off approximately 1,000 employees this week, which likely includes the NetherRealm cuts.

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