Perlmutter held a town hall with the league staff and management on July 2, according to 76ers GC General Manager and Head CoachJeff Terrelland NBA 2K League insiderJa Bridgeforth.
The league CEO announced massive layoffs during the short meeting and laid out plans for the league’s big revamp.
Bro fired everybody in 10 minutes and got off
The General Manager for Heat Check Gaming, one of the teams in the league, posted on social media after the town hall that Perlmutter “fired everybody in 10 minutes and got off.”
Other league employees, like castersHarris RubensteinandJamie ‘Dirk’ Diaz Ruiz, also said they were now out of work after the town hall.
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The two laterwent live on Twitchand Dirk claimed the league would be going on a hiatus, effectively leaving them and many pro players out of a job, for the next 18 months to revamp.
The NBA 2K League releasedits updatefollowing the town hall, saying it is “reimagining” the league into a “global digital entertainment business.”
The league will become “social-first” to reflect a style that “younger fans understand.” It’ll also have live events that aim to be “immersive experiences” in “playful environments.”
The future of the NBA 2K League also aims to get more actual NBA players involved in hopes of capturing a larger audience.
Fan response has been mixed, as many are upset at the lack of substance in the statement and the revamp of the league.
“League so unstructured man, said a whole bunch of nothin’ just to take other people’s jobs away. No other E-Sport would’ve done what you guys are doing rn, nobody is watching NBA/Celebs play with a Pro in only a 3v3 setting,”one social media user said.
Otherssaidthat the league was in desperate need of change anyway and were willing to give the revamp a chance.
“This is unfortunate for the people who lost jobs, but everyone knew the trajectory wasn’t sustainable. I’ll give it a chance, and not write off the new format before seeing it, but I strongly suggest y’all get creators involved more than celebrities who don’t care for our community.”
Declan McLaughlin was a Gaming & Esports Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in Valorant and League of Legends. He has bylines at Upcomer and Inven Global.
