Şık bir yola geçiş için: Şafak Elma! Sizinle oyun geliştirme sektöründen ayrıldığınızda memnuniyet duydum

Games Sim I crashed out reading layoff condolence letters in this shop sim about a laid-off adventurer made by a laid-off Xbox developer Features By Lauren Morton published 24 March 2026 Being a game dev "is not something a corporation can take from you" says solo developer releasing a game alone after last year's Microsoft layoffs. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Alien Fruit) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter "Hark Elm! We've been missing you back at the party, it's such a shame you got laid off," reads a scroll on my desk in the opening minutes of Dungeon Bodega Simulator. "I heard you opened a shop! What a quaint way to bounce back, I'll try and stop by next time we adventure in that area."I can actually feel my heart rate spiking, reading those words. Early in my career I was laid off from game development. Twice. Sadness, anxiety, even a little bitterness as still-employed coworkers "reach out" with hopes that you'll "find something soon" are all swallowed stones that fester in your stomach. You start asking yourself if you deserve to "bounce back," if everyone is quietly condescending to you, if you should cut your losses from the industry entirely.Years of post-pandemic studio "restructurings" have made it a nearly ubiquitous experience in the industry, including for the solo developer Alien Fruit, who got laid off from Turn 10 Studios last year and wound up surviving the job hunt doldrums by making a shop sim about a laid off adventurer.Article continues below You may like The dev behind my top upcoming RPG is a Hungarian chef who thought 'if not now, then when?' and learned coding from scratch to make his dream 'eurojank' masterpiece To celebrate 2 years of Balatro, creator LocalThunk reflected on dropping out of an engineering program to make games: 'Even if I could warn myself I’m not sure what I could have said to prepare for the insanity' Devs behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters are done with big shooters after getting burned by Embracer, so their next game is a Balatro-like twist on Scrabble—and you can try the demo now (Image credit: Alien Fruit)It's not safe to go aloneDungeon Bodega Simulator is immediately charming. Other than the brief existential flashbacks it gave me, I had a lovely hour playing its demo. The low-poly characters and crunchy textures harken to the lo-fi PS1 aesthetic trend while the picking stuff up in front of my face with my invisible hands makes me think of the little joys of goofing around in Phasmophobia.Former adventurer, now dungeon shopkeeper Elm Myrkwater, has been laid off, and is now (literally?) locked in a dungeon, growing apples and bananas inside an abandoned cell and concocting potions to sell to passing adventurers from beneath a portcullis.Each day I wake up in my roomy dungeon flat and walk downstairs to water my incarcerated apples. I fill a cauldron with water and chuck in an apple and banana together to brew potions to place on my store shelves. I check my magical chest to find that my new item stock has arrived overnight: more apple seeds, refreshing drinks, and "bandages" that look like toilet paper for some reason. I pick a cassette tape to play as my day's soundtrack, pet my bodega cat, and open the portcullis to fill the requests of a waiting line of adventurers. Life of a small business owner, eh? (Image credit: Alien Fruit)As the days pass and Elm's shop earns more, I can learn to craft weapons to sell. I can grow and breed dungeon slimes too. Tucked away in the back of my dungeon block is a cell with arcane runes on the wall that grant me unlockable passive upgrades like a "bag of holding" to more easily collect and shelve my bananas, a bonus for completing orders quickly, and eventually a kobold shop assistant who will water my cell fruits for me. Dungeons are cozy now. window.sliceComponents = window.sliceComponents {}; externalsScriptLoaded.then(() => { window.reliablePageLoad.then(() => { var componentContainer = document.querySelector("#slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-sVg5jxhQuh9VKfDgKHAUcf"); if (componentContainer) { var data = {"layout":"inbodyContent","header":"The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals","tagline":"Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.","formFooterText":"By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.","usDisclaimerFooterText":"By signing up, you agree to our Terms of services and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Notice. You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.","successMessage":{"body":"Thank you for signing up. You will receive a confirmation email shortly."},"failureMessage":"There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.","method":"POST","inputs":[{"type":"hidden","name":"NAME"},{"type":"email","name":"MAIL","placeholder":"Your Email Address","required":true},{"type":"hidden","name":"NEWSLETTER_CODE","value":"XPG-X"},{"type":"hidden","name":"LANG","value":"EN"},{"type":"hidden","name":"SOURCE","value":"60"},{"type":"hidden","name":"COUNTRY"},{"type":"checkbox","name":"CONTACT_OTHER_BRANDS","label":{"text":"Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands"}},{"type":"checkbox","name":"CONTACT_PARTNERS","label":{"text":"Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors"}},{"type":"submit","value":"Sign me up","required":true}],"endpoint":"https:\/\/newsletter-subscribe.futureplc.com\/v2\/submission\/submit","analytics":[{"analyticsType":"widgetViewed"}],"ariaLabels":{}}; var triggerHydrate = function() { window.sliceComponents.newsletterForm.hydrate(data, componentContainer); } if (window.lazyObserveElement) { window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerHydrate); } else { triggerHydrate(); } } }).catch(err => console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','Hydration Script has failed for newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-sVg5jxhQuh9VKfDgKHAUcf Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','Externals script failed to load', err)); The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware dealsKeep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The "LFG" lifeAlien Fruit's developer Harrison says he started the first iterations of Dungeon Bodega Simulator as a side project just a couple months before getting laid off from Turn 10 Studios where he was working on Forza games.Harrison says he knows the common advice about not making work your identity, "but it's hard not to let it go to your head when you get to work on cool big projects," he says. "Being laid off was a major blow, and I was hit with imposter syndrome hard." (Image credit: Alien Fruit)"Those feelings of inadequacy, the tension of seeing other folks get jobs quickly while you struggle for months, the days of wondering if you can even stay in your chosen industry." What to read next The best indie games on PC This game about running a '90s video rental store is the first job sim to really grab me since Schedule 1 I thought the Midnight Ramen Shop demo might scratch the Papa's Pizzeria itch, but it actually just made me realise I could never run a ramen shop after getting everyone's orders wrong on purpose Continuing to work on Dungeon Bodega Simulator started out as something to give structure to Harrison's unemployed days—something to devote his time to that wasn't obsessing over the wallowing job market. And it's no wonder that those letters Elm gets from old coworkers made me crash out a little. Harrison says they were cathartic to write. He says Elm begins by feeling a little bitter before realizing they've got more feathers to their cap than just that former job title. Yup, relatable."It was a reminder that I am both capable and good at my craft," Harrison says. "That the title of 'game dev' is something anyone can earn by making a game. It is not something a corporation can take from you when you get laid off." (Image credit: Alien Fruit)Eight months after that layoff, Dungeon Bodega Simulator has just launched on Steam. It's a bittersweet story, though. The market is so tough on indies right now, Harrison thinks, that "success" for DBS probably isn't springboarding into another solo project and is more likely as a good portfolio project to showcase his versatility.Harrison has recently accepted an entry-level QA position "to help pay the bills," while he continues looking for a position comparable with the one he lost. "Getting to work with a team is something special, so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for another systems or gameplay design role," he says.Dungeon Bodega Simulator may have taken me on a real emotional rollercoaster, but I can respect not wanting to stay indie for life even if it does go over as well as I hope at launch. if (window.sliceHydrationLazy) { window.sliceHydrationLazy("authorBio-sVg5jxhQuh9VKfDgKHAUcf", "authorBio", JSON.stringify({"layout":"default","border":false,"separator":true,"name":"Lauren Morton","role":"Lead SEO Editor","authorLink":{"text":"Lauren Morton","href":"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/uk\/author\/lauren-morton\/"},"image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6MgVf8uhbHQhz8GSqMgw3Y.png","alt":"Lauren Morton","srcSetSizes":[140],"fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"addSEOMetaData":false,"removeNativeWidthRestriction":false,"dataBordeauxImageCheckAttr":false,"noCredit":false},"socialLinks":{"socialButtons":[{"iconName":"EMAIL","href":"mailto:lauren@pcgamer.com"}],"socialNavAriaLabel":"Social Links Navigation"},"biography":"Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She joined the PCG staff in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-18/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Lauren MortonSocial Links NavigationLead SEO EditorLauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She joined the PCG staff in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years. View More You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout Read more RPG The dev behind my top upcoming RPG is a Hungarian chef who thought 'if not now, then when?' and learned coding from scratch to make his dream 'eurojank' masterpiece    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Roguelike To celebrate 2 years of Balatro, creator LocalThunk reflected on dropping out of an engineering program to make games: 'Even if I could warn myself I’m not sure what I could have said to prepare for the insanity'    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Puzzle Devs behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters are done with big shooters after getting burned by Embracer, so their next game is a Balatro-like twist on Scrabble—and you can try the demo now    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Games The best indie games on PC    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim This game about running a '90s video rental store is the first job sim to really grab me since Schedule 1    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim I thought the Midnight Ramen Shop demo might scratch the Papa's Pizzeria itch, but it actually just made me realise I could never run a ramen shop after getting everyone's orders wrong on purpose    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Latest in Sim Sim You can play Peter Molyneux's new god game, Masters of Albion, before it launches in early access    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim Hello Kitty Island Adventure has announced its second DLC, adding one of Sanrio's most colourful characters, a customisable cafe, and over 90 quests    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim Masters of Albion is a 'Best of Peter Molyneux' greatest hits collection in one game, but I fear it might not measure up to the games that inspired it    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim Cat Parents amasses over 100,000 wishlists in just 3 days, leaving its indie devs speechless: 'We never imagined that our little dream would spark interest in so many people'    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim OpenTTD asks people to please stop being mad at Atari for forcing the game off Steam: 'OpenTTD as a project retains its full independence,' and you can still get it for free    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Sim I've finally found my true calling, and it's kicking people out of national parks for the slightest infractions of the rules    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Latest in Features AI AI gaslighting watch: Is there AI in my fridge?    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Memory Intel's new 200K Plus chips support ultra-fast DRAM out of the box but as my tests show, there's little benefit for most PC gamers in using warp-speed stuff    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Processors I've tested Intel's new Binary Optimization Tool to see what all the fuss is about and while it's almost everything the chip giant claims it to be, few PC gamers will ever see the benefits    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE MMO EverQuest Legends is classic EverQuest, but for people who don't have time for MMOs anymore    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE FPS There is nothing like Marathon's Cryo Archive map    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE Adventure A $5 Wikipedia-like mystery game consumed me for 2 straight hours as I dug for clues about a little town and its big weird tree    SPONSORED SPONSORED_HEADLINE if (window.sliceHydrationLazy) { window.sliceHydrationLazy("popularBox", "popularBox", JSON.stringify({"tabs":[{"tabName":"Hardware Buying Guides","articles":[{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/gaming-laptops\/best-gaming-laptop-2026-ive-tested-the-best-laptops-for-gaming-of-this-generation-and-here-are-the-ones-i-recommend\/","heading":"Best gaming laptop 2026: I've tested the best laptops for gaming of this generation and here are the ones I recommend.","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VE6Qpc3WBWmB97fURoKgJe.jpg","alt":"","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/handheld-gaming-pcs\/best-handheld-gaming-pc-in-2026-my-recommendations-for-the-best-portable-powerhouses\/","heading":"Best handheld gaming PC in 2026: my recommendations for the best portable powerhouses.","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eTejK2ompKUZXXp4wYZYrW.jpg","alt":"","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/gaming-pc-build-guide\/","heading":"Best gaming PC builds: Shop all our recommended system builds as we ride out the RAMpocalypse","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/e3kYdcbuuE2KvBWdoJHiAD.jpg","alt":"Pick the products from our latest recommendations.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/best-gaming-monitor\/","heading":"Best gaming monitors in 2026: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/frzxjnBp54HWTDa2bBfTPe.jpg","alt":"MSI and Asus gaming monitors on a green background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/pc-cases\/best-fish-tank-pc-case\/","heading":"The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/o6sptgSgQmwfPnEkopd2md.jpg","alt":"Two of the best PC cases with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the top right.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}}]},{"tabName":"Latest Game Reviews","articles":[{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/gaming-keyboards\/asus-rog-strix-morph-96-wireless-review\/","heading":"Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless review","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qUG8ZKVvwPehbo9hpJ3WA9.jpg","alt":"Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless on a desk mat.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/earbuds-headphones\/asus-rog-cetra-open-wireless-review\/","heading":"Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless review","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gqdLXphPcNCsumRdANzrHK.jpg","alt":"Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds on a deskmat.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/pc-cases\/lian-li-lancool-217-case-review\/","heading":"Lian Li Lancool 217 case review","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jKXJY8f5mxx8HDgGY7yt6U.jpg","alt":"A Lian Li Lancool 217 on a desk with various components installed inside it.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/game-pads\/hyperkin-competitor-review\/","heading":"Hyperkin Competitor review","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/3TEoYfnGkzXiCm8xisUHGZ.jpg","alt":"The Hyperkin Competitor on a gaming laptop.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}},{"href":"\/uk\/hardware\/gaming-keyboards\/asus-rog-falchion-ace-75-he-review\/","heading":"Asus ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE review","image":{"src":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RvH7EP8da6Zz4N9bWgWmWS.jpg","alt":"The Asus ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE on a desk with the lighting enabled.","fullscreen":false,"lazyLoading":true,"dataHydrate":true,"addSEOMetaData":false}}]}]}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-18/js/popularBox.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best gaming laptop 2026: I've tested the best laptops for gaming of this generation and here are the ones I recommend.2Best handheld gaming PC in 2026: my recommendations for the best portable powerhouses.3Best gaming PC builds: Shop all our recommended system builds as we ride out the RAMpocalypse4Best gaming monitors in 2026: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself5The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation1Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless review2Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless review3Lian Li Lancool 217 case review4Hyperkin Competitor review5Asus ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE review