I seriously considered getting it until this bullshit.

I mean they're not laid off, so the money should still go to them, no? I read on that they ran out of money like 3 weeks before the release date, so hopefully with what a huge success this is, once the money gets banked over they'll be back in business? :<

I mean furlough could mean reduced or no pay

Not sure why anyone expects any different, it's simply the nature of game development. Most of the game development staff isn't needed after release to maintain the launched game.

The type of staff needed at each stage of development varies quite a bit. Unless the studio is large enough that it has multiple projects going at all times at different points of development that it can move people between, there will be people that are no longer needed after major milestones. You don't need a full story/quest writing team through release for example, even if you have post-release DLC planned, but you don't see articles written about those layoffs halfway through development.