After two years of modest performance, ByteDance’s gaming division, Nuverse, is undergoing substantial downsizing.
Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is instructing its employees to halt work on unreleased games and exploring options to divest from launch titles. The gaming division is undergoing significant layoffs, causing uncertainty among Nuverse employees, according to Reuters. The move is expected to have no impact on the casual gaming brand, Ohayoo, or the games associated with TikTok.
ByteDance has reportedly opted to restructure its gaming business following a recent evaluation. In 2021, Nuverse had around 3,000 employees, and this figure has remained consistent in recent years. The company will halt ongoing gaming projects and is likely to divest existing gaming titles within Nuverse. The online card game ‘Marvel Snap’, created by the US-based studio Second Dinner, is among Nuverse’s notable games. Other titles include ‘One Piece: The Voyage’ and ‘Crystal of Atland’.
ByteDance had purchased the Shanghai-based gaming studio, Moonton Technology, in a $4 billion deal. The firm is known for the popular mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’, released in July 2016. Now, reports indicate that ByteDance is exploring options to sell Moonton.
Meanwhile, TikTok has been banned in India since June 2020, citing national security concerns amid a military conflict with China. This ban allowed Instagram to capture a significant portion of the market, while various TikTok imitations emerged.
