The team behind WWE video games is reportedly undergoing major changes. A new report claims the studio behind the WWE 2K and NBA 2K games has initiated developer layoffs. The WWE gaming teams have reportedly suffered the most.
The news started spreading online after multiple employees posted on social media that they had lost their jobs.
Reports indicate layoffs have impacted the studio behind WWE 2K and NBA 2K
According to Insider Gaming, the layoffs affected both the main WWE 2K development team and the group working on WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition. While no exact number has come to light, sources reportedly said the cuts were significant.
Software engineer Brittany Thibodeaux said that “many” workers were laid off, including herself. Game designer Anna Hodges thanked her coworkers and reflected on her three years with the company.
One of the most emotional posts came from game designer Nina Marotta. She revealed that she had recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder shortly before being laid off.
Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw later tweeted that although the layoffs happened across the company, the WWE game teams have emerged as the hardest hit.
Part of the issue reportedly involved WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition. Even though the game performed well in downloads and reviews, sources claimed Netflix expected something different from the project.
According to the report, Netflix reportedly wanted the game to feel more like a mobile experience, while the developers created something closer to a traditional WWE 2K title. One source described the situation by saying Netflix “expected it to be something it was never designed to be: a mobile game.”
The report also claimed that company leadership continued to assure employees that everything was going well before the layoffs happened. One source reportedly said, “Leadership lied the whole time, saying the game was fine and great.”
After WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition launched, Netflix reportedly decided not to move forward with WWE 2K26 or WWE 2K27 Netflix versions. That decision allegedly left an entire team without future projects.
The timing of the layoffs also caught attention. According to the report, the cuts occurred just as Take-Two Interactive’s stock value reportedly increased by another $2 billion because of GTA 6. WWE 2K26 has already been facing criticism for its game’s pricing, paid content systems, and microtransactions.
