Trion Worlds has laid off a number of employees in the wake of Defiance 2050's launch.

That's according to posts from staff on social media which the MMO specialist has confirmed in a statement to GamesBeat.

The sequel to its Defiance MMO launched on July 10th. One of the perks of service-based projects like Defiance 2050 is that staff is needed on a longer basis, meaning that the layoffs that used to be commonplace at the end of big linear triple-A products were no longer necessary.

“We’ve had to make the difficult decision to eliminate 15 positions throughout the company,” the company said in a statement.

“We are extremely grateful for those who have been impacted for their hard work and contributions to Trion Worlds, and will be offering each of them severance benefits and job placement assistance. This is not related to the performance of the individuals affected nor of Trion Worlds as a whole, but was necessary to enable us to develop the upcoming projects that we have planned in the best ways possible.”