Heart Machine, the studio known for creating the popular indie games Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, has announced it is reducing its staff. The exact number of layoffs hasn’t been revealed.
The developer released Hyper Light Breaker, its follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, into early access on PC earlier this year. Unfortunately, the game hasn’t gained much traction, receiving mixed reviews and a lack of enthusiastic response from players.
Development of Hyper Light Breaker is nearing completion. The studio is essentially minimizing further investment; they aren’t canceling the game, but they are finishing up work on it.
Heart Machine told Game Developer that they’re committed to creating a game that’s both impactful and fully realized, despite the challenges they’re facing.
The game is currently scheduled to be fully released in January. However, it’s not yet known if this release will include versions for other consoles, such as the PlayStation 5.
The game was initially hoped to help the studio recover after layoffs in November 2024, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been successful.
Heart Machine’s official statement on the situation reads:
As we finish developing *Hyper Light Breaker*, we’ve unfortunately had to say goodbye to some very skilled people on our team. This wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, but it became necessary due to the current situation.
This project will wrap up soon, but its outcome is also influenced by things outside of our direct control, like changes in funding, mergers between companies, and the challenges facing small studios like ours right now.
We obviously wish the best of luck to those who have been impacted by said layoffs.
I just found out Heart Machine is working on *another* game! It’s called Possessor(s), a 2D action title coming to PS5 this November. I’m really hoping it does well – I loved their previous work and I’m excited to see what they come up with!
What are your thoughts on this? Do you enjoy games like Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash, or Hyper Light Breaker? Let us know in the comments!
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2025-10-09 20:07