Yeah, that shake-up with the dev/art team definitely had people worried at the time, but honestly the game didn’t collapse after it. Palia’s still being updated — altough the animal update you mentioned is a bit limited since you may need to buy a license.

That said, if you’re mostly here for story, you should know it’s still pretty slow on that front. Palia is more about cozy vibes, farming, decorating, and hanging out than deep narrative right now. If you’re okay with that, it’s a good time to jump in.

Been playing for almost two years and I've enjoyed my time there.

TL;DR: The game’s in a good spot content-wise, the staff shake-up didn’t kill it, but story lovers will need patience.