Heart Machine Lays Off More Staff Just Weeks Before Possessor(s) Launches

Back in November 2024, the studio laid off a portion of its team while developing Hyper Light Breaker. Then, on Oct. 10, 2025, the studio announced another round of layoffs as well as the end of development on Hyper Light Breaker, which was in early access. While Heart Machine has not issued a formal statement regarding these latest layoffs, at least four developers have shared news of their departure on social media. 

“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. 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,” Myriame, a former producer at Heart Machine, shared. “My time at Heart Machine has sadly come to a rather abrupt end. I was there for almost 6 years, & had been working on Breaker since summer 2020,” said Jordan Campbell, a senior animator at the studio. 

Yiyi, who worked in Heart Machine’s community and PR team, shared in a video post that, “By the time Possessor(s) comes out on Nov. 11, I don’t know if anyone who worked on the game will even be at the company anymore. That’s game dev.” This, of course, shouldn’t be game dev, but has been for some time now. It is estimated that at least 4400 developers have lost their jobs in 2025 alone, with the actual amount possibly much higher, as many companies have not shared the exact number of people laid off.