Heart Machine Lays Off Nearly All Staff After Publisher Pulls Funding

Heart Machine studio head Alx Preston announced in a post on LinkedIn on September 16, 2026, that nearly everyone at the Los Angeles studio had been laid off after a publisher funding the studio’s unannounced title decided not to move forward with the project.

Preston said the studio had been working on the unannounced title with publisher funding, and that earlier that week the publisher decided to no longer move forward with it. Without that key income, any other immediate prospects, or other funds, he wrote, “nearly everyone at the studio had to be laid off.” Preston called the situation devastating.

Preston said everyone affected will be provided with as much support as possible, including assistance with placement, and he asked anyone aware of open roles to reach out so the studio can coordinate. He thanked the people who contributed their efforts and talents to the studio, as well as its community and fans.

The Studio’s Catalogue

Heart Machine is based in Los Angeles with team members across the globe, and it describes itself on its official website as the creator of the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, with a stated focus on building adventures with engaging stories in vibrant worlds.

The studio’s official catalogue lists four games. Hyper Light Drifter is an action adventure RPG modeled on 16-bit classics with modernized mechanics, sold on Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Switch. Solar Ash takes players through a surreal, vividly stylized world built around high-speed traversal and massive enemy encounters. Hyper Light Breaker is an open world co-op adventure set in the world of Hyper Light, and Possessor(s) is a fast-paced action side scroller following Luca and her counterpart through a flooded, quarantined city.

Hyper Light Breaker entered Steam Early Access on January 14, 2025, developed by Heart Machine and published by Arc Games, according to the game’s Steam page, which describes it as an open world rogue-like and the first Hyper Light entry fully realized in 3D. Players enter the Overgrowth alone or in online co-op for up to three people, battling the Crowns and the Abyss King. The game is priced at $29.99. English-language user reviews stand at Mixed, with 53% of 2,819 reviews positive, while recent reviews are rated Very Negative, with none of the 11 reviews posted in the last 30 days positive.

A post titled “Hyper Light Breaker – Development Status Update December 22, 2025” was published to the game’s Steam news hub on December 22, 2025. The game’s Steam page carries a developer notice stating that Hyper Light Breaker will not receive further development for the time being, with no definitive date for it to leave Early Access.

Possessor(s), developed by Heart Machine and published by Devolver Digital, released on November 11, 2025, for Windows PC and PlayStation 5, according to the game’s Steam page and Devolver Digital’s official listing. The game features combat drawing on platform fighters, with players controlling Luca, the host, and her counterpart as they navigate a quarantined city flooded after an interdimensional catastrophe. Its Steam page lists 27 achievements, and user reviews are Mostly Positive, with 75% of 718 reviews positive.

Union Recognition at the Studio

On March 9, 2026, the Communications Workers of America announced that developers at Heart Machine had formed a union with CWA Local 9003 ahead of the Game Developers Conference 2026, joining thousands of video game workers who have organized with the union. The wall-to-wall unit represents all frontline employees at the studio, where workers produced Hyper Light Drifter in 2016 and Solar Ash in 2021, according to the labor organization.

In February 2026, worker-organizers at Heart Machine presented management with a request for voluntary recognition after a super-majority of their eligible co-workers signaled their desire to be represented by CWA, and the studio voluntarily recognized the union, the labor organization said. CWA described voluntary recognition as a streamlined route to recognition backed by the federal labor board. Steph Aligbe, a gameplay tools engineer at Heart Machine and CWA Local 9003 member, said the union was proud the studio chose to voluntarily recognize it and that members looked forward to bargaining a first contract that protects the workplace.

Preston closed his September 16 announcement by addressing the studio’s future. “Navigating an increasingly challenging industry has been extremely difficult, and I’m not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive,” he wrote. “However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here.”