French publisher Dear Villagers has laid off approximately 15 employees, cutting most of a team that numbered around 20 people before the restructuring was confirmed. The layoffs stem from a reorganization ordered by owner Plug In Digital, according to a statement on the publisher's website.

The cuts reach deep into the company's operations. Multiple LinkedIn posts from impacted employees indicate the vast majority of the team is gone, including almost everybody in the QA department.

Why is Dear Villagers cutting staff?

Plug In Digital, which owns the publisher, is reorganizing its operations across the group. A company spokesperson confirmed the move to Game Developer and said the final headcount is not yet settled.

"Plug In Digital is currently undergoing a reorganization of its operations in an industry that has been particularly challenging for several years. In this context, a workforce reduction plan has indeed been initiated, affecting approximately fifteen positions (as the process is still ongoing, we do not have final figures to report)," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson framed the decision as both painful and unavoidable:

"This decision is obviously a difficult one, as it affects employees and teams who have contributed significantly to the company's growth. Sadly, it is also a necessary one in order to adapt our organization to the particularly rapid evolution of the video game market and the new economic realities of the sector."

What does this change for the publisher's roadmap?

Dear Villagers told Game Developer that it intends to keep publishing and producing games going forward. The company has built its catalog on narrative-driven and mid-budget titles, including Caravan SandWitch and The Forgotten City.

The scale of the reduction raises operational questions. A publisher that loses nearly its entire QA department and three-quarters of its headcount will need to either rebuild those functions, outsource them, or lean harder on external partners to sustain a release pipeline. The company has not detailed how it plans to cover QA or other internal functions after the process concludes.

What happens next?

The workforce reduction is still ongoing, and the company says final figures are not yet available. Watch for confirmation of the final headcount and any statement on Dear Villagers' upcoming publishing slate once the restructuring closes.