Heart Machine lays off “nearly everyone at the studio” following cancellation of unannounced title

Heart Machine, the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash, Possessor(s), and the still-in-Early Access Hyper Light Breaker, has laid off “nearly everyone at the studio” following the cancellation of an unannounced title that its publisher decided to no longer move forward with, founder Alx Preston said in a LinkedIn post today.

While the majority of Heart Machine was laid off, Preston said that, “I‘m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive. However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.”

Here is the full message from Preston:

I have very difficult news today.

We had been working on an unannounced title, funded by a publisher. This week, they decided to no longer move forward with it. 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.

Everyone will be provided with as much support as possible, including assisting with placement. If you know of any roles for extraordinarily talented, kind people, please reach out and we will coordinate.

Thank you so so much to all of the incredible people who contributed their efforts and talents to making amazing things at the studio. Thank you to our amazing community and fans.

Navigating an increasingly challenging industry has been extremely difficult, and I’m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive. However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.