Shareware life simulator Palia appeared on Steam a couple of weeks ago, and the developer of Singularity 6 laid off 35% of the staff, presumably about 49 people.
The studio said in a statement:
“Since the release of Palia on Steam, we have appreciated the support needed to ensure a high-quality gaming experience process and long-term stability. We have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce, affecting approximately 35% of our talented and hardworking team members. We value their input and are committed to supporting them throughout the entire process, including severance packages, job placement and career guidance assistance, and retention of all company-provided development equipment.”
Palia has been available in beta on the Epic Games Store since last year, and arrived on Steam on March 25th. The game currently has a “mixed” rating (68%), and some user reviews mention bugs. Additionally, the game was said to be in “beta” at launch, although no early version was announced on Steam.