Heart Machine faces possible closure after publishing deal falls through, majority of staff laid off

Hyper Light Drifter developer Heart Machine is at risk of shutting down after a publishing deal collapsed, with nearly everyone at the studio laid off. Studio head Alx Preston said on LinkedIn that without this key income and other immediate prospects or funds, almost all staff had to be let go, and that everyone will be offered support including help with placement. Heart Machine has gone through three rounds of layoffs in nearly three years, including cuts in November 2024 before Hyper Light Breaker's early access launch and two more rounds in October 2025.