Heart Machine, the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker, and Solar Ash, is facing massive layoffs after an unknown publisher suddenly stopped funding their secret project. The company’s founder, Alex Preston, announced the difficult decision to lay off nearly all of his employees on LinkedIn, saying the current situation was devastating.
Now, management is speaking openly about the uncertainty of the studio’s future fate and the possibility of survival in the event of a 2026 gaming industry crisis, while helping affected colleagues.