Team, Recruitment and Roadmap

Hard decisions, but that is what it takes.

I keep coming back to this

Hello Alex and team, I have not and care not to read all the media involved in the operations of your company regarding this internal matter, especially after skimming over some of the posts here. I do want to say a person needs to enjoy whatever work they do for they spend the majority of their waking hour doing it. So if they do not, then they need to move on and keep seeking until they find it. In a working environment a truth that is often overlooked by workers is that everyone is expendable, no matter how expert or good one thinks they are at what they do, there will always be someone who will do it just as well, if not better. So, as one of your financial supporters, it was your vision for this game, and your skills and talents that first attracted me before you had any staff helping you. Therefore, I have no doubt or hesitation to continue supporting your vision for this game and not comparing it to any other life simulation game out there because they are different and which I believe can't be compared. Please stay focused and not lose sight of your game vision and continue to build a team able to share that same vision and the game will surely succeed! For what it's worth you and your team, however it evolves and grows, and Paralives has my full support!

I certainly hope that this is sorted and no harm come out of it. I am getting a sort of bad feeling here... something not right. I think we, the followers, should be sacked too! We are becoming demanding and bossy, not a good combination, I am aware that some people are investing money, and that is a sore subject but.... remember you are freely giving it and trusting the team to make decisions and take actions which they should not have to explain (I would hate being in Alex's shoes!) .

I'm a bit sad about it. She seemed like she was in the lead development for the smarter AI and deeper personalities and traits. I really hope someone is going to take up that task.

Reading the comments, I gotta say you guys are way too much involved in this. Step back. Someone might have done something wrong, but it happens, I'm not sure we should interfere or ask for full report of what happened, etc.

I was actually considering pulling my funding BEFORE this all happened due to some of her comments/tweets to this community that just didn’t sit right with me. I was getting some serious Grant vibes if you know what I mean...well then you know what I mean. However, this move has assured me that this passive/aggressive tone is not the tone that your team wants representing them. That puts any hesitations I may have had at ease and will continue to support.

I'm glad you did what you needed to do for the team! :)

I'll be honest, I'd really like this to be more transparently addressed. I'm worried about the things Roxane was speaking about and I'm sure there's other patrons who are too.

Hang on, so are you saying that Roxanne decided not to renew her contact or you decided not to renew it?

je suis sûr que vous avez pris la bonne décision je vous soutiens ce sera un super jeu!

It shouldn’t have come to this, and I can understand why the team decided to let her go. However some of the things she said are kind of important if true... I’ll take these with a grain of salt, however her accusations about avoiding long-term planning and the actual configuring of live mode in the game are a bit concerning...

I'm very sorry to hear that there was any kind of discord among the developers. Alex, I hope you are able to find someone who is a better fit all around

Guys, you know what to do, so i'm 100% behind your decision.

Paralives, Your pledges are starting to go down, you need to let us know what is going on with your company and if the claims that Roxane made are true. I still support you and will continue to give you my money, but because I am giving you money, I need answers and assurance that my money isn't being wasted. I love the idea and progression of the game, I need an answer for your sake. Have a nice day. And to everyone else please keep your pledge.

I think it’s very unfortunate that this ended up as a public dirty laundry wash. Alex’s twitter statement revealing details about the layoff invites us to make judgements about Roxane’s character, which I think is extremely unfortunate. I don’t want to have an opinion on what was ‘right’ or who was at fault, because it is an internal affair, and none of our business. But I do want to be assured that the project I’m supporting is being run properly. Comparing Alex’s twitter statement and Roxane’s tweets, looking past the strong emotions and insults in the latter, it seems there were some serious communication issues going on. I appreciate that this is a small team that are very passionate about what they’re doing, that this is probably the first time taking on a project on this scale, and that they have gotten way more attention and pressure than expected. I’m sure it must be very challenging, and I highly admire what they do. That’s why I think getting help (from a HR person or something) to learn how to deal with any interpersonal issues before they escalate seems like a wise move. It would free up your time and your minds so you can focus on creating the game, and I think it should be a priority now that you are expanding. I hope the team can recover and learn from this, and that we can continue to work on creating the bestest game ever! Personally, I hope there’ll be a new poll soon!:) I’m wishing you all the best.

I wish Roxanne the best of luck for the future, she seems talented and passionate about what she does. Sometimes jobs just don't work out. I have worked with complete jerks as well as with extremely nice people I liked and admired but just wasn't on the same page with workwise. In both instances, disagreements were handled directly with them, not through public means. I would huff and puff to my friends and family about how much I hated my job, but at no point did I think that a twitter war, during or after my employment, would help either side. Ranting online makes you look bad, even if you're right. Unless something unlawful was done, the best approach is letting karma deal with such matters. Tearing someone down will never lift you up. Usually, it has the exact opposite effect.

People! I know this has been blown up into a whole "thing" with people taking sides and even throwing gender into it. Honestly this is, at its core, a business decision. The last thing any of us wants to see is some drama between developers played out on social media with arm-chair quarterbacks saying what they think may or may not have happened or who may or may not be at fault. I include myself in that group, by the way! The most important thing is where it goes from here. I am sure Alex and the team want to move forward and concentrate on making the best game possible for all of their supporters. I, for one, want to support them in that regard. A road map will be excellent to see and I look forward to it. Keep up the good work, team! Roxane helped to create what we have now and I thank her for it. Time to move on.

This whole situation has left me speechless 🙊

I support this decision, people like to think that they are irreplaceable and that usually results in arrogant behavior. The team will continue and she missed out on an innovative project thinking no one could replace her. In fact Im pretty excited to see the new talent and see the team grow in a positive direction.

You have boundless supportive over here <3

I'm so sorry how this has negatively impacted fans.. Fortunately it wasn't enough to really hurt the game. Evidence shows she didn't take any kind of "criticism " well she's even blocked fans.. I'm sure they made the decision to not continue to work with her with the best intentions, he even wished he well and was professional. Hopefully now there won't be anymore mishaps like this and maybe Alex can do a social media check before hiring. This game really has great potential, with the right team. That being said he gave Roxanne a shot, it didn't work out he chose not to continue her contract.. She unfortunately took that the wrong way let her emotions get the best of her and lashed out. Whatever does or doesn't come her way now because of that is on her. I suggest Alex should also start having NDA for all hires now as well to cover himself, should any other situations arise.

Thank you for letting us know, Alex! Things like this happen and you still have my full support!

I'm very upset to come on and see how negatively this has affected pledges. I'm so sorry, Alex.

I had a friend who was working on a game all by himselves...and it took over 2½ years before he was finished...and the game was not as complex as this..so......well I know how long time it takes.....beleve me!! Im sorry for Alex that there has been labor difficulties with Roxanne but that happens for all the best...unfortunately! Now It is up on the horse and get new crew menbers..and the ride along.....hehe

She said that out of spite in hopes of hurting the games reputation. People need to understand that building a game from the ground up takes TIME. Alex was working by himself for over 6 months until he hired Léa and Roxanne in December of 2019. Plus Léa was only working part time until 2 months ago when she switched to full time. So what do people expect? When Roxanne was working on the team she even stressed how long games take to develop, so her remarks about the games developments in the rant contradicts what she’s said in the past. That let’s me know that she made those remarks in hopes to tarnishing his support. People need to look at a few videos on game development to know all the work that goes into it. Sorry to bring this drama to your page Alex, I know the team is probably stress about the whole situation but just know we’re still here to support you.

Her tweets about how there’s not much going on apart from the reveal makes me kinda worried that this is all hype. Also by emails pretty nasty and the fact that this is a pandemic. Yikes we need to be seeing more posts in what they are actually doing seeing as they have someone dedicated to socials.

Good luck to her in her next career

Didn't even touch the Hero tier, if I'm correct. I check the levels every day, proud for the success! No stranger here to behavior of this nature. Lack of understanding, outbursts. So much can be said when hurt and you must protect what you love. Hope the best for everyone, but understand - the foundation is still here. Making these tough decisions will always be necessary and the trust remains with the right hearts. (Gut instincts can be strong, remember: choice is always your best-led internal compass, and always at your discretion) 💙 here for the longhaul, your faithful devotee c:

It seems like a very difficult situation for the three of you. I hope you’re all doing okay. I won’t be going anywhere and I look forward to seeing what you create. 💕

The game will be in a better state. If someone is not working as a team player then the project does not go anywhere. She worked and she decided to move away for not following the team work rule. Now, it is time to open new doors for the future of Paralives.

She was very unprofessional and immature. Good riddance. We do not need those kinds of toxic people. I want to wish her well but after reading her outburst, the girl clearly has anger issues and needs to take a step back and think what she says before making herself look stupid and downright disrespectful.

Uhh...after I read her tantrum tumblr posts, I changed my perspective from understanding her and wish her well to "Alex did the right thing firing her". https://imgur.com/gallery/2on7Ure

An extremely unfortunate situation for all involved to be sure. Truly hoping for the best for Roxane in the future as well. Hope this doesn't affect public perception too much but the upcoming roadmap should set some minds at ease.

I still support the creator of Paralives. My pledge for the team is secure. Let's calm down and see the progress of the game first.

What a ridiculous,toxic behaviour,I am glad she is gone.Whatever happened, going on Twitter and calling people names and such is NOT ok.It speaks volumes about her as a person, good luck moving forward Paralives team. ^^

I just learned about the whole thing. I wanna say that I support Alex, Léa, and Christine. I hope you guys didn't get hurt by whole thing... I hope you remember there are so many people support you guys!!!

I'm so sad this had to play out on twitter. I personally feel conected to Paralives being a patron and so I feel like I was attacked , I made a financial commitmen to Paralives and this has not changed.

I missed what happened, but I wish Roxane well and hope she finds a job quickly. I also have no plans to remove my support at this time. And I hope Alex, Lea, and Christine are alright and not too shaken by these events. I look forward to seeing what this team produces, as well as what Roxane creates at her next job.

Its cool. I'm not going anywhere over it! Seems like you should've done it over the phone but if the way shes acting on Twitter was any indication of how communication goes I understand.

Just remember - We don't know what really happened. Please don't pull your pledge just because some heated things were said publicly, being let go from a team is emotional regardless, and she let it get the best of her. She made some claims, which Alex is attempting to rectify by giving us a roadmap and showing there in fact is a plan. I agree with others who mention that a HR person (etc) should be hired. Speaking for myself, I would be okay with pledges going towards hiring that said person. That way, if god forbid this happens again, it won't be put just on Alex to let that person go. That being said, Alex, Lea, and Christine; i hope you guys are doing alright, you have my support.

I love you guys! I will continue supporting this amazing project! And can’t wait to see the Roadmap! 💕

I just want to say that regardless of the story and what happened, the way Roxanne conducted herself was extremely unprofessional. I do wish the best for her of course, but I would be concerned for her future job prospects in the industry following her Twitter implosion; she didn't delete the tweets fast enough. Screenshot records of it are everywhere. Disagreements are going to happen within teams but there's a certain way to handle them appropriately and the way she did it was not it. I hope this doesn't damage the development project too much. You guys still have my full support and I sincerely hope for success with this game.

It's sad to see Roxane go in such circumstances but I wish her well. Looking forward to the upcoming update

But why release a road map now, when according to Roxane, she has been asking for it for a while to help her feel safe. Why do you release it the day after she get´s fired. Out of spite? Or what

Maybe look into hiring a PR person? It’s unfortunate that it had to play out on social media the way it did. You’re running a small business and you can’t afford to have situations like this happening.

Given Roxanne unprofessionalism, I'm taking her allegations with a grain of salt. Allegations but nothing to really back it up. Tried to defame the team as well. Thank you for the statement Alex. You are trying to protect the integrity of your business that someone was trying to destroy with alleged claims.

Okay, I get that Roxanne was very rude in her Tweets, but some of the accusations she has made are quite serious and concerning. Please do address these claims soon. Also as someone who worked in management and HR I would advise to hire someone experienced in team management. It's one thing to be a great game developer, it's another to run a business. A quick tip: if someone you are planning to let go is not aware or suspecting that they will be let go, you are not providing adequate feedback/appraisals. You need to make them understand that you are justified in your reasoning to avoid any possible disputes. Disputes like this whole fiasco on Twitter can end up costing a lot for a company especially an independent one. Take my advice, hire someone to handle your staffing.

You're doing a great job Alex, you and the team ❤

I agree that maybe even just a part-time HR person might be a good way to dedicate one of those unnamed positions (and maybe take some pressure/work off of alex's hands to handle stuff like payroll) but at the end of the day, a probationary period is just that. if you know you're in such a period and don't respond to feedback, i'm not sure what result you're expecting. many places don't even give warnings on probation, but i digress - probation is the time to be on your very best behavior and judging by her response, i wholeheartedly believe alex's description of her behavior. i'm also not sure how she wanted him to handle it if she's apparently acknowledged being disruptive on calls...we're in a pandemic, he can't knock on your door. Also a note to those considering pulling pledges bc roxane claims not much has been done: while we're up to 33k NOW, that all happened this week. they WEREN'T there before maggie's reveal and still don't have a full team. before determining that nothing's being done with the money, we have to give them TIME to do something with proper funding and hands on deck.

I bumped to the $3 tier today. Thank you.

Hell I'm on Alex's side, he's creating his passion project, HE took the initiative, any one else is compensated for their work, and is appreciated. But he/we can't let negativity ruin progression. Moving onward. She'll be alright, she could have even kept her Huge following for future projects. Graciousness was not shown...I just quit a Toxic job of 4 years via email in Jan.

This situation would probably not have escalated as drastically with HR. Instead of focusing on hiring more tech/etc. this now needs to be a priority. Such a small team of members with, most likely, very different personalities and interacting with patrons with similarly diverse personalities is not going to produce a healthy work atmosphere. This statement does not inspire hope as it basically just says she was hard to work with without addressing some of the most concerning comments about the workplace atmosphere and responsibilities. Everyone won’t be a plum to work with, but having a resource where both you and the rest of your team can communicate is an absolute necessity. I’m very disappointed to see things escalated to this point as well as the response to this situation.

Alex, I think you handled this situation the best you could. Being a business owner, performing a function in the business besides owner, and handling employees are are busy jobs by themselves. You had an employee not living up to the expectations of the position, so they were let go. Plain and simple. Now you can fill that role with someone who can work in a more synergistic way to reach your goals. I wish you good luck and fortune!

I just want to put it out there that you guys still have my 100% support. Let's not lose track of how promising and exciting this game is. Keep up the good work Alex and team! I wish Roxane all the best in her future endevours.

I was so excited to see a new update but it's so sad :(

I feel like none of us outsiders should really pick sides in this since we weren't there and don't know the whole situation. I'll continue to support paralives, but not rush to call Roxanne crazy and I hope things go well for her, especially since it can't be easy being jobless during a pandemic. I hope we get to hear from the others in the team tho, like how Lea and Christine sees the situation.

I would like to put it out there that, regardless of what happened, I hope she has financial support of some kind during transition. I know I wouldn’t mind my patron money helping her out a little while longer. Given pandemic and all :/

I love drama but tbh I wish this had all stayed offline

Hope development isnt stalled and if needed hope a replacement is in the works, I trust that the team or Alex did what was best in the situation but hope this does not implode again further down the road... I understand some people are thickheaded and very opinionated and not willing to listed to reason or can just fly off the handle for no reason... not saying all of or any of that was Roxanne but just saying it can be difficult to manage many different personalities and I hope the rest of the team can mesh well together and listen to eachother and be respectful is all I want

and- i- opp- she- i- we-

The tweet from Alex seemed a little messy even with Roxannes tweets. Airing out a former employee is a bit unprofessional. If anything you can address points that she made, some which were valid. Not bash her on the internet. But hey we don’t see what happens behind the scenes so I’m sure you’re both right and wrong in your own ways.

I hope the best for the Paralives team. I hope that you guys will heal from this situation and be stronger from it. Press on; you all are doing an amazing job!

not being messy im just curious what the screenshots of Roxanne's twitter said

Wait what happened with Roxanne?

Saw the messiness on Twitter. Glad to see you are handling things, though! I hope the recruiting goes well.

Thanks for this secondary statement and for providing us with a roadmap. I understand you needed to take time to discuss these things as a team and also that sharing a roadmap can be a bit scary, as it's closer to offering a timeline you might not be able to fulfill (which would be understandable!). so thank you and cheers!

I really hope that you Alex didn´t do what she wrote. Because if you did, you need to look over your management as a boss/leader. Because that behaviour is not ok. And all these people have helped you since the start, including me. I really hope this developes to something positive. But firing someone "out of the blue" in the middle of a pendemic, I don´t know. I hope there was a good reason for it and that the crew working on this game will have a positive experience in the future. We don´t know much of how the backrounds are being handled, we just see the game development. Please, take care of each other and make it a good workplace, work together, listen, give helpfull critisism and so on. I love what you guys have shown so far, but I want to support something positive, so please. I hope that´s still true!

Happy to see that you're so transparent with us, Alex. We don't need to know the details, as staffing of your company is none of our business. Best of luck Roxane, and thank you, Alex, Léa and Christine, for all you do.

I just want you and the rest of your team to know, that from a PR-perspective, I think you guys handled everything very well. As a patreon, I'm proud to support you guys and the work you are doing

Now is the time to move on and continue with our support on this amazing project ☺️ There’s been enough drama today seeing as social media always love blowing every little thing up before listening and understanding anything. In my eyes I see a good and amazing team and I’ll look forward to this brilliant roadmap 👏🏻🎉 Love to all patrons and Paradevs!

This has been a messy day. I think what has prople the most shaken up, is the idea that there's no plans. Or real work being done. The road map may remedy that. I know some people left, but I'll be sticking around for now

Why was Roxanne let go?

Thank you, Alex, for keeping us informed! The best of luck for the team with the further development of Paralives and to Roxane with all her future endeavors! 🌻

I'm so sorry this happened! Hope you're all doing ok <3

You act fast. You're very responsive to feedback and you seem to really care about your project. I'm looking forward to the roadmap! Cheers, take care.

Yeah, running a business can be difficult. Sometimes you need a little luck, to find the right co-workers. But I’m glad you’re still managing to keep everything on track. I hope everything can run smoothly from now on, and I’m so happy that you’re growing really fast!

there has to be a good reason for letting her go, so I don't have an issue with your decision :) it's your game after all

I sure it's a lot fo stress & work to sort out for you Alex - but I can't wait to see what tidbits emerge once the bigger team is assembled!

Given what I saw elsewhere, this morning, surrounding this decision I have to say it definitely seems like the right decision for the team and the game going forward. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Wish the current and future team the best in your continuing development.

Excited for the features, sad to see Roxane go, but grateful for the work she put in.

That's a shame but I'm very excited for more gameplay news!!

Thank you so much I really appreciate the fact that you are keeping us in loop. Thank you Roxanne for everything you did. You worked for a very good game, in the future you can say I was there helping them to create a best simulation game. 😊 you will do very good job for your future projects as well😊

I’m sure, you’ll find someone else with a more professional attitude. Sorry to hear that.

Alex, I love you guys and everything you've been doing.. I'm also happy to know about the future plans and get .. but I'd like to ask for more clarification on what really happened, because the acusations made by both sides are really serious. Please.

Good luck with your next endeavour Roxanne! Change is scary but it always also provides exciting opportunities too!

Oh no 😥 sad news. I'm a little concerned but I can't wait to see your next exhibit to have a better idea of where we're heading. Hopefully still towards the right direction 🤞

Aww best luck Roxane and crew we still love you and I'm sorry it didn't work out for you ti continue with this team. I'm excited to learn what features you're hoping to implement and been working on

Que triste

That's really sad! Good luck Roxanne! Keep up the great work Alex!

Smart of you to post this. I, at least, am here with you all!

That's a shame, I hope it's a positive move for her and fingers crossed you can get some really fab developers on board 😍😍😍

I'm sorry things had to turn out like this. :( I hope everything works out well for all the parties involved

Thank you so much for keeping us in the loop!

When is the next post coming though??

Brilliant news as I expected, Alex. Thankyou for your statement and Much love and support to you and the girls! 👏🏻🥰 can’t wait to see more exciting news to come on our dream game! ❤️

Would you think about doing a Q&A on YouTube?

Thank you Alex and team!

Sad to hear but excited for the future of paralives! Keep going team!

Take care!! ❤❤

Sad about the things going on but looking forward to seeing what you guys have in store!

Sad to hear, but excited for the future

aww, im so sorry to hear 🥺 we love you roxane! thank you so much! <3

❤️❤️❤️

Keep up the good work! You guys are doing great!

All the best!

Sad to hear but excited about the build features. It’s my favorite part!!

I can't wait! I'm rooting for Para lives and the dev team! ❤💙

It’s sad, and I have lost some hope, but hopefully this game will keep moving

Sad to hear that Roxane is gone, but I wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours!!

I wish Roxanne all the best!! ❤️❤️

I'm really looking forward to seeing the roadmap! Hope you guys are happy and healthy, and good luck to Roxane in the future

thank you roxane for your work! i look forward to future updates :)

Sending best wishes for everybody ❤️

:( goodbye Roxane

Sad to see roxane go but I’m happy to see what is more to come

This is really shocking!

Sad to see Roxanne go, but best of luck to her and the rest of the Paralives team!

Thank you for the clarification!

Take care Roxane! You did a very good job!

Good luck in your future endeavors, Roxane!

😔