Almost all employees were fired from the studio of the creators of Hyper Light Drifter

Studio Heart Machine, the developer behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, has dismissed almost all of its developers after a publisher withdrew funding from an unannounced project, company founder Alx Preston said in a post here.

Preston explained that Heart Machine had been working for some time on a title financed by an unnamed publisher, but that this week the publisher informed the studio it would no longer continue the project. Left without that key source of income and, in his words, "without other near-term prospects or funds," the studio was forced to let go of nearly all of its staff.

He added that the company will attempt to support those laid off, including help finding new employment opportunities.

In an earlier version of his message, Preston wrote that he was unsure whether Heart Machine would survive. He later revised the post to soften that language. His statement included:

Working in an industry where conditions are getting ever tougher has been extremely hard. I don’t yet know what lies ahead for Heart Machine or how it will survive. But as long as we’re here — we will keep seeking a way forward.

This is not the first time Heart Machine has reduced staff in recent years. In October 2025 the team announced a halt to development on Hyper Light Breaker, which was in early access at the time and remains so, citing prior rounds of layoffs and related difficulties.