It has been a productive but perhaps not too successful year for developer Heart Machine so far. At the turn of the New Year, the indie studio launched Hyper Light Breaker in an Early Access form and in November it will be letting Possessor(s) into the wider world. The studio has not been idle, but this hasn't translated to commercial success unfortunately.
After a turbulent launch and big plans to improve the game, Heart Machine has revealed that Hyper Light Breaker will go no further. Development on the project has been shut down and with this big change, layoffs are rocking the studio too.
This has been confirmed in a statement to Game Developer, where a spokesperson for the studio has explained:
"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.
"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."
With a change like this in mind, all eyes are on Possessor(s), which seemingly has to generate interest and drive commercial success for the studio in this turbulent time.