Top management is not always prepared for transparency. At least, that was the case with FuturLab, famous for Powerwash Simulator (which has grossed over $40 million on Steam alone). Even the team leads were not informed about the layoffs.
Powerwash Simulator
Moreover, sources from the publication TWIV claim that the management tried to keep the situation quiet. Employees were instructed not to use the term "redundancy," but to refer to those laid off as "the leavers."
A total of seven people were laid off. This happened in July. Neither the management nor the laid-off employees (apparently as directed by their superiors) informed their colleagues that they were no longer coming to work and performing their duties.
Later, at a general meeting, it was announced that the layoffs were related to the cancellation of a project. The decision to abandon work on it was made in June. The game had been in development for two to three years. It was not related to the Powerwash Simulator franchise.
The reason for the cancellation, as later commented by the Powerwash Simulator management to TWIV, was that more money had been spent on development than the project was expected to earn.
Powerwash Simulator is a highly successful series of cleaning simulators. In the franchise's games, players wash dirt off filthy surfaces with a water stream. The combined sales of the two parts of the series exceed 3 million copies on Steam, with a base price of $24.99.