Lilith Games lays off 40 devs ahead of Project Party rework

Chinese developer Lilith Games laid off 40 developers that were working on its upcoming life sim, 'Project Party.'

According to translations from GameLook, the reductions took place in mid-November. The game's producer was among those let go. The outlet notes the layoffs came after Project Party's beta failed to meet expectations over the summer.

PocketGamer also reports the game has not been canceled, but the remaining 60-person staff will focus on further gameplay changes.

Lilith Games' mobile history

Lilith Games is best known for mobile titles like Dislyte, Farlight 84, and AFK Arena. GameLook notes this set of layoffs is the latest for the studio: in 2022 and 2023, it cut staff working on then-projects 'Breach' and 'Apocalypse of Eden.'

Lilith is the latest team to face an uphill battle developing a new life sim game. In June, Paradox canceled its own entry in the genre, Life by You, and shut down its creator Tectonic Games after deciding the game would not meet Paradox's expectations.

"A version that we'd be satisfied with is too far away, and therefore we are taking the difficult decision to cancel the release," said Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester in June. "Moving forward, we should perform at a much higher level, and it's obvious that we have work ahead of us."

Life by You's cancelation was preceded by the rough launch for Paradox's other simulation title, Cities: Skylines II. Both Paradox and developer Colossal Order have acknowledged the game's troubles throughout the year, and the publisher later admitted it's become a victim of its own success.