Playful Studios, the team behind the recent Nintendo Switch release New Super Lucky's Tale, has reduced its full-time staff.

In a statement on the official website (thanks, ResetEra via MyNintendoNews), co-founders Paul and Katy Drake Bettner said it had been an "incredibly difficult decision" and they were "truly heartbroken to be parting ways with many of our friends and colleagues".

At the time of writing, it is not clear how many people have been affected by the headcount reduction, but the co-founders stated they "will be working closely with each person affected by this transition to help them move forward".

"Since 2012, we have had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with some of the most talented developers in our industry, to create unique, beloved IP, and cherished original games," said a joint statement from Paul and Katy Drake Bettner. "We've created and shipped multiple titles on a range of platforms to millions of players worldwide, and we are incredibly proud of the work our teams have accomplished along the way. During this time we have taken significant risks to grow our studio, we've dared to dream big, and we've worked hard to pursue these amazing opportunities together with our friends.

"Continued changes in the global video game marketplace require Playful to evolve its approach to the development and production of our current and future projects. The studio will be pivoting to a more streamlined production model based on distributed game development and dynamic, project-based teams.

"As part of this transition in our operating model, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to significantly reduce our full-time staff, effective today," the statement concluded. "We are truly heartbroken to be parting ways with many of our friends and colleagues. These are people who have poured their hearts into every game Playful has created, who have supported us and each other every step of the way, and have truly made this studio what it is today. We will be working closely with each person affected by this transition to help them move forward."

The studio's most recent release was New Super Lucky's Tale, which expanded on 2017's Xbox and PC game Super Lucky's Tale, which itself was a follow-up to the VR adventure Lucky's Tale. Our own Christian Donlan called the 2017 iteration "cheerful, generous and designed to evoke delight" that was "a completely unexpected treat that brightened the best part of a week as I bounced through it with a huge smile on my face".