Many were looking forward to Palia , an MMO that follows in the footsteps of Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. Now the relaxing life simulation has launched on Steam. However, the online game started with some problems and only moderate reviews. The developers will now find it even harder to improve the game: because 35% of the staff will be laid off.
This is the news: The studio Singularity 6, the developer of Palia, has stated in a statement to IGN that approximately 35% of the workforce has been laid off.
The employees had reported their layoff in advance on Twitter and other platforms.
The layoffs come just a few weeks after the launch of the MMO Palia on Steam on March 25.
“Decision made to reduce the workforce”
This is what the studio says: The statement reads:
After the release of Palia on Steam, we evaluated the support necessary to provide a high-quality gaming service for long-term stability. We made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce, affecting approximately 35 percent of our talented and hardworking team members. We value their contributions and have committed to supporting them during this process. This includes severance packages, job placement assistance, and career counseling, as well as maintaining all development equipment provided by the company.
This decision was not made lightly and came after careful consideration of our development and business needs to support Palia and its community. We will continue to work with passion and imagination and maintain the dedication and creativity that our community expects and deserves. We thank you for your understanding and support for our studio and the affected team members.
Singularity 6
Palia launches with mixed reviews on Steam
How is Palia doing? The Free2Play MMO Palia launched on Steam on March 25. Currently, it has only “Mixed Reviews” after 4193 reviews:
- Technical difficulties are mainly criticized: The game sometimes simply freezes
- Others describe the basic concept of the game as simply “boring,” while others praise this very “cozy gaming experience.” One feels at home in the world.
Palia had a peak of 11,900 players, and in the last 24 hours, the peak on Steam was 7,922.
It is still very early to judge the success and failure of the game, but the layoffs now show that the studio may have miscalculated its revenue. Because ultimately, the success of a Free2Play game does not depend on how many people play it, but how much each player spends on the game.
What kind of game is this?? Palia is an attempt to take the stress out of MMOs. It aims to provide players with a relaxed gaming experience.
Behind it is apparently the enormous success of life simulations like Stardew Valley or the quintessential pandemic game: Animal Crossing.
New MMORPG launches without any combat and still finds success
