Humble Games' recent mass layoff saw the removal of nearly the company's entire workforce which was a part of what the studio said were efforts to restructure but have impacted other developers and their games.
These include Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, which is a gorgeous 2.5D platform with Metroidvania elements that is based on Japanese folklore. The game was released earlier this month across PC and consoles.
Humble Games' Mass Layoffs
However, because of the game's developer's partnership with Humble Games, Squid Shock said that it has experienced several unexpected issues since its launch. This was most notable in the game's console ports.
In a recent post on Steam, Squid Shock acknowledged the "unexpected changes" within Humble Games following the layoffs being confirmed by the publisher. It also noted that it is currently unsure of what will happen next, according to Eurogamer.
The team behind Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus wrote on July 25, 2024, that the news of Humble Games' layoffs caught them off guard. They added that they are still working to understand the full implications on their side.
The studio said that while Squid Shock is a separate entity from Humble Games, it remains committed to both Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus and its community. The layoffs could potentially result in delays for updates, especially on console ports.
Squid Shock said that Humble Games' latest efforts dealt a "critical blow" to the work it did on its games. Particularly, the company's quality assurance support was linked to its deal with the publisher, which has not hampered post-launch support, said GameDeveloper.
Impact on Developers
Shortly after Humble Games confirmed that it laid off many of its workers, the publisher reassured that it would not affect the deals that it had in place with various other studios. These include Squid Shock and Coral Island creator Starway Games.
Last week, Starway Games released a statement affirming that it too was in a rough spot from the restructuring done by Humble Games.
It added that it currently has "no idea" how it will push a console hotfix because it only has backend permission for Coral Island's Steam version.
Squid Shock, on the other hand, said that it was actively pursuing all "available avenues" to get updates released for console ports. However, the studio said that these efforts could take some time to take effect.
The developer added that if the situation does take longer, it still assured fans of Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus that all "updates and fixes will come to consoles," eventually, according to GamesRadar.
