Hyper Light Breaker Development Halted, Studio Heart Machine Lays Off Staff Heart Machine is ending development on its third-person roguelike Hyper Light Breaker, confirming the game will not leave early access. The follow-up to the acclaimed indie title Hyper Light Drifter, which was first announced in 2022 and faced multiple delays, finally launched into early access at the start of 2025. A full 1.0 release is now off the table. The studio confirmed it is winding down development on the game and has laid off an unspecified number of employees as a result. In a statement, Heart Machine explained the difficult decision, citing it as the only available path forward. The studio pointed to broader challenges including shifts in funding, corporate consolidation, and the uncertain environment that many small studios currently face. Despite this setback, Heart Machine plans to continue making games with its now smaller team. The studio has the Devolver-published sci-fi side-scroller Possessor(s) still scheduled to launch next month. For Hyper Light Breaker, the end is not entirely immediate. The studio stated it intends to deliver one more meaningful update in January to polish the game as much as possible given the circumstances. No further updates are planned for the rest of 2025. In a preview last year, Engadgets Jessica Conditt described Hyper Light Breaker as a perfect blend of Hyper Light Drifter and the studios other game, Solar Ash, while praising its hoverboarding mechanics. The game will now remain in its early access state indefinitely. The situation highlights the ongoing pressures and instability within the gaming industry, particularly for smaller independent developers navigating a difficult economic landscape.
