As we’re all preparing for the holiday weekend in the US, the employees of Gazillion have received some heartbreaking news. Massively OP received a tip from a now ex-Gazillion employee that all staff of the company has been terminated. Additionally, Marvel Heroes is set to shut down on Friday, as opposed to the original announcement that the game’s service would be ending at the end of the year.
The ex-employee in Massively OP’s article wished to remain anonymous, but they’ve provided some very detailed information about the termination:
The ex-employee says he was terminated as of today, that Gazillion is being shut down entirely, and that Marvel Heroes will sunset this coming Friday, not at the end of the year as originally announced.
The termination letter written by CEO Dave Dohrmann was shared with Massively OP and claims that banking creditors have effectively pulled the plug on the company, leading to the termination of almost every employee at the studio and the apparent renege of benefits including accrued PTO.
While this was originally only a rumor, another Gazillion employee has spoken out on Twitter, the details of which match the letter that Massively OP received.
“Happy Holidays, the company is dead and you’re laid off.” https://t.co/UGJt75ftL4
— Andrew Hair (@andrewhair) November 22, 2017
I know a lot of people are upset and wanting refunds for their purchases in @MarvelHeroes, but please keep in mind the developers were not paid out PTO, severance, and our medical insurance is ending in 8 days.
— Andrew Hair (@andrewhair) November 22, 2017
I would have loved to show you all the new five man Raid, LFG system, Thor Ragnarok costumes/heroes, Omega update on PC, new AI, better game pad controls, etc… it was a blast to work on. Thanks for all your support over the years. <3
— Andrew Hair (@andrewhair) November 22, 2017
This all appears to be very sudden, as all staff was terminated the day before Thanksgiving and the creditors of Gazillion aren’t paying off anything most laid off employees will get, including severance. While Marvel Heroes players are undoubtedly going to be upset that their purchases may go to waste, but given the nature of the employees’ terminations, refunds are very unlikely.
[Source: Massively OP, Twitter]