The team behind WWE 2K26 has been hit by major layoffs — and now a new report is painting a rough picture behind the scenes at Visual Concepts.
According to Insider Gaming, Visual Concepts, the studio behind NBA 2K and WWE 2K, has laid off an unknown number of employees. The cuts were said to be company-wide, but the WWE game teams were hit the hardest. That includes both the main WWE 2K team and the group that worked on WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition.
Sources told Insider Gaming that the number of layoffs “wasn’t insignificant,” though no exact figure was provided. Those sources reportedly did not want to give a number out of concern they might underestimate the total.
The WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition situation appears to be a major part of the story. While the game performed well in downloads and reviews, sources within Netflix said executives felt it did not “meet expectations.” One source said Netflix wanted something different than what the project was built to be: “They expected it to be something it was never designed to be: a mobile game.”
The report also claimed that Take-Two management had painted a much more positive picture internally before the layoffs happened.
“Leadership lied the whole time, saying the game was fine and great.”
After WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition was released, Netflix chose not to renew its deal for Netflix Editions of WWE 2K26 or WWE 2K27. That decision left an entire team without future projects. One source summed up Netflix’s involvement bluntly: “Netflix got their pop on the charts.”
The layoffs come at a tense time for WWE 2K discussion. Stevie Richards recently criticized WWE 2K26’s pricing model, ringside pass, MyFaction, The Island, and paid progression systems, calling the setup predatory and accusing the game of pushing players toward more spending even after buying premium editions.
Now, the conversation has moved from player frustration to workers losing jobs behind the scenes. If Insider Gaming’s report is accurate, WWE 2K’s development structure has taken a serious hit, especially with the Netflix Edition pipeline apparently ending after just one release.
For now, Visual Concepts has not publicly confirmed the full scale of the layoffs, and the long-term impact on WWE 2K26 remains unclear. But with the WWE teams taking the hardest hit, this is a major development for the franchise.
What do you think about the reported layoffs at Visual Concepts hitting the WWE 2K teams the hardest? Let us know your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments.