Heart Machine, developer of games like Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, is reportedly laying off staff for the second time in October.
Early in the month, the studio confirmed a round of layoffs and the end of development on early access title Hyper Light Breaker, which launched back in January of this year. Now, 12 days before the launch of the studio’s Possessor(s)—published by Devolver Digital—more developers have reportedly been laid off.
At least four workers have said they’ve been impacted by layoffs this week via Bluesky, on posts dated October 28 and October 29. “My heart is heavy & I might have more to say on that later, but I’ve got news today that my time at Heart Machine will come to an end after Possessor(s) ships,” reads a Bluesky post from one impacted developer. “I’m honestly too busy… literally shipping the game to start actively looking for work, but I’ll be looking for my next gig in December.”
A second worker, who has been at Heart Machine for almost six years, said their time at the studio has “sadly come to a rather abrupt end.” Then, another dev said, “I just want to post, I’m laid off. Just shouting into the void of the internet! It was a beautiful and wonderful team of people to work with at HM.”
The most recent post about the layoffs includes a video recorded by the developer themself talking about the reported reductions. “Heart Machine has just laid off a bunch more people, effective immediately. And by the time Possessor(s) comes out on November 11, I don’t know if anyone who worked on the game will even be at the company anymore. That’s game dev.” Replying to another user in the thread, the developer said they’re “fortunately mostly on my feet personally,” which leads to believe they’ve also been affected by said reported layoffs.
This would be the third round of layoffs at Heart Machine within a year
Heart Machine previously laid off a portion of its workforce back in November 2024. In a statement, the company said it was forced to cut jobs due to “broader forces beyond our control,” and hoped that the “strong and timely” launch of Hyper Light Breaker would “rekindle opportunities” for those impacted.
“As we wrap up our work on Hyper Light Breaker, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to part ways with a number of talented team members. This was not our ideal path, but rather the only one available given the circumstances,” read a statement at the time.
“While this path will include a conclusion on the project, it reflects broader forces beyond our control, including shifts in funding, corporate consolidation and the uncertain environment many small studios like us are navigating today.”
Meanwhile, Possessor(s) publisher Devolver Digital also cut jobs this year. Back in April, as stated in Devolver’s FY24 investor presentation, the company laid off 40 percent of employees at internal studio Nerial after identifying “issues” with recent releases.
Game Developer has contacted Heart Machine and Devolver Digital for more information on the reported layoffs.
