Gamers are a weird breed we’ll play something new and fresh for 5 hours and have the best gaming experience ever and then immediately turn around and go back to the same game that’s been giving us high blood pressure for 5 years.

What do you mean? We had a rosterpocalypse, it just wasn't for the players.

Chill out with the threats toward Stew. Guy is a human being with a family. Disagree with the way he runs a business, be upset at the impact it has on others, but leave the violence elsewhere. Use that energy to support the people who need it instead.

I'm sorry to hear about the continued layoffs at Hirez. So many great people have been affected. I hope that each and every one of you that were affected will find a new home. I'm sad that some of us were not listened to a few years ago...

Honestly this is more on Erez and the board than anything. The board, in short, approves the budget, strategy, and can fire the CEO. Keeping an underperforming executive around for that long is a bad look, and they failed in their responsibility to their shareholders in that regard. I cannot think of a single company that mismanages their capital, tanks their culture, pisses off their customers, and still has the same leadership. Even in a world where it's 'not his fault', companies change leadership to shake things up when they're not working. Business is unpredictable and hindsight is 20/20, but there have been systemic problems at that company for a while now that led to these issues. Refusal to pay to attract and retain top talent, antiquated top-down leadership practices (vs. servant leadership/upside-down pyramid) which is the norm these days), half-assing investments that required all-in or not at all (esports), rule through fear, lack of professional development, a culture of "Well you're lucky you're working in gaming at all", and a tendency to always cut the corner. HiRez is and always will be a place that people get their foot in the door to go on to bigger and better things elsewhere unless you're lucky enough to get one of the seats at the leadership table... and then you're still beholden to someone that doesn't have the level of expertise you do and has an opinion as if they do. Ultimately this is the responsibility of the CEO-- even if he was constrained by the board, it's his obligation to advocate for more where needed to do his job effectively. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, and he fostered a terrible one. Thankfully(ish) this latest move is not an uncommon one-- they're likely eliminating as much payroll as they can while Smite 2 is still going strong(ish) so they can prop up the financials and sell the IP off. The only bitch of it is that Stew will get paid out for it in the sale with all the equity he's amassed over the years, and everyone else loses their jobs. Truly hope Epic buys out the IP. The game would be way better off with more investment dollars, resources, and better leadership. Back into my cave!

Alright— one more Tweet for 2025. This is incredible and a testament to the hard work, sweat, and tears of the Smite 2 team. We’ll see how it pans out over the next few months but a steadily growing base means people are playing and staying. Might need to play…

Using my once-a-year Tweet: AI Refs in the NFL can’t come soon enough. Egregious.

Yikes. Thoughts go out to all my HiRez friends that might be impacted. If I can help in any way, please reach out— resume reviews, career advice, transitions to new industries. Amazing to me that there’s one person that has kept their job through all of this. 🙄

🥳

To all Pro-SPL Players: With the SPL effectively ending many of you have said you’ll be pursuing jobs and careers outside of SMITE. I know I’ve stepped back a bit and I don’t talk about it much but I’ve been in the Business/Tech world for about 13 years now and have participated in hundreds of interviews— if anyone needs help as they pursue a different career path, please reach out. Your skills are incredibly attractive to a ton of different industries and I’m more than happy to assist with Interview/Resume prep, job searches, etc. Companies want employees that have a competitive spirit and know how to strive to be the best. You’re the top players in the world, and spent hours honing your craft to get there— just need to know how to Market that! You’re not just ‘gamers.’ Talk soon.

If @J2Ruto doesn’t get a trophy I’m gonna be pissed.

Got to see @Wraithyn1 at #SWCX! Mahalo for your advice & wisdom that helped me during my time as a @SMITEGame Olympian. Pay it forward!💯😎👍

I was skeptical, definitely. SMITE’s best days are ahead of it— every one of these changes are awesome, the gems/skins solution is reasonable, and SMITE2 is looking great. Congrats to the entire @PlayTitanForge team!

This year’s SWC is going to be my last SMITE event. Been quiet for a while, have had a lot going on personally and professionally this past year, haven’t had much time to game, etc. so this will be the last hurrah for me. Hope to see you all there, and definitely flag me down if you see me.

😡 @myflintv