Heart Machine Announces Layoffs and Ends Development on Hyper Light Breaker
October 9, 2025 — Indie developer Heart Machine has confirmed layoffs within its team and the cessation of active development on its early access title, Hyper Light Breaker. The announcement comes amid growing challenges for small studios navigating a shifting industry landscape.
In a recent statement to Game Developer, Heart Machine outlined its plan to polish and deliver a meaningful final update for Hyper Light Breaker, scheduled for release in January 2026. However, the studio made clear that it will not be able to fulfill the original vision set for the ambitious open-world rogue-lite.
“We still have something coming in January. We plan to deliver something meaningful and as polished and complete as we can given our current circumstances. We’re doing our best to refine what we can, complete key systems, and have the game culminate in a satisfying punctuation point,” a studio spokesperson said.
The update will mark the last major content release for the game this year, as the studio scales down operations and will cease further public engagement such as updates or Q&A sessions through the end of 2025.
“Given our limited resources with team members rolling off the project, we won’t be releasing any more updates or hosting any Q+As for the rest of this year. We want to make sure the team can focus fully on getting this next release into the best shape possible,” the spokesperson added.
Background: From Launch to Layoffs
Hyper Light Breaker entered early access on January 14, 2025, following Heart Machine’s success with their previous critically acclaimed title. Despite a strong launch, the game has faced mixed reception, reflected in over 2,500 user reviews on Steam.
This announcement marks the second round of layoffs for Heart Machine in less than a year. The studio had previously downsized in November 2024 but held hope that the release of Hyper Light Breaker would open new opportunities for affected employees.
“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,” the studio said.
Although the exact number of layoffs has not been disclosed, Heart Machine expressed deep gratitude for the contributions of its former staff and pledged to support those impacted during this transition.
Industry-Wide Challenges Affecting Small Studios
Heart Machine’s struggles underscore ongoing difficulties faced by many indie developers in a volatile market. Factors such as changing funding landscapes, consolidation within the gaming industry, and the pressures of sustaining long-term development on ambitious projects continue to create hurdles.
The Road Ahead for Heart Machine
Despite the downsizing, Heart Machine affirmed its commitment to continue creating games, albeit with a smaller core team.
“We remain deeply grateful to everybody who contributed to our projects and will continue building video games as a smaller core team,” the company said.
As Hyper Light Breaker reaches its final stages, the gaming community watches closely to see how Heart Machine’s journey evolves amid the broader challenges confronting indie developers today.
