Heart Machine, the US-based makers of Hyper Light Drifter, its multiplayer spinoff Hyper Light Breaker, and last year’s Possessor(s), have laid off “nearly everyone” on staff after an unnamed publisher pulled funding for their next, unannounced game.
Studio founder Alx Preston confirmed the cuts on LinkedIn, while noting that Heart Machine as an entity continues to exist – albeit precariously. “We had been working on an unannounced title, funded by a publisher. This week, they decided to no longer move forward with it,” the post reads. “Without this key income for the studio, any other immediate prospects or other funds, nearly everyone at the studio had to be laid off. It’s devastating.”
Preston adds that “Everyone will be provided with as much support as possible, including assisting with placement,” before thanking the affected staffers. “Navigating an increasingly challenging industry has been extremely difficult, and I’m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive,” he says. “However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.”
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Arc Games
The cancelled game would have been Heart Machine’s fifth, including their 2016 debut Drifter and 2021’s sci-fi surfer Solar Ash. The studio’s more recent games have been troubled: Hyper Light Breaker launched into early access with little sign of the original’s exploratory spirit and tight action, development subsequently ceasing within the year and a smaller-scale round of layoffs following. Side-scrolling Metroidvania Possessor(s) released just weeks after these cuts, also to mixed reviews.
Still, it’s deeply unfortunate both that these layoffs will likely prevent Heart Machine from finding the chance to turn their fortunes around, and that they’ve happened in the first place. It’s been a torrid few years for the games industry in this regard, with everyone from megapublishing giants to recently-formed indie developers seemingly sharing the belief that everything will be fine if they just keep slashing jobs. Preston’s statement, while tinged with the same euphemisms and managed regret that we’ve seen in a hundred different press releases and corporate tweets, at least acknowledges that the studio is unlikely to function without its workers.