Heart Machine, the development studio best known for the success of Hyper Light Drifter, is closing after a massive wave of layoffs. Nearly everyone at the California-based company has been laid off, as founder and studio manager Alx Preston and several affected employees confirmed. The steep cuts were caused by the recession and the fact that the number of players in the Early Access version of its latest game, Hyper Light Breaker, fell short of expectations. In an emotional statement, Preston admitted that he was currently unable to determine whether or how the studio would weather the crisis, leaving a skeleton crew to handle only administrative matters.
The layoffs mark the culmination of a months-long drought at the studio. The studio was established in 2013. Following the critical acclaim and commercial success of its 2016 debut game “Hyper Light Drifter” and its sequel “Solar Ash”, the team attempted to enter the 3D rogue-lite action game genre with “Hyper Light Breaker”.
However, the early access phase had a disappointing start, and it could no longer support the ongoing operating costs of a rapidly growing development team. As efforts to find new investors or rescue publishers remained unsuccessful amid the tight market environment, management was forced to pull the brakes and release most of the developers.
Affected employees took to social media to express regret over the abrupt end of the project, noting the dire labor market conditions in the video game industry. Many of the people being laid off had been working on the game’s visual and technical design for years. While support for Hyper Light Breaker won’t be stopped abruptly just yet, future development has effectively stalled due to a lack of human resources.
Heart Machine’s demise fits in with the ongoing wave of consolidation in the global gaming industry. Even established independent studios with a history of success are facing increasing pressure due to rising production costs and a saturated market environment (where new releases cannot immediately meet the high financial expectations of the Early Access phase).
