Following the tremendous success of their acclaimed action RPG, Hyper Light Drifter, developer Heart Machine faced a monumental challenge with its spiritual successor, Hyper Light Breaker. This co-op roguelike, set in the same visually stunning universe, brimmed with potential. However, despite its striking art style and promising premise, the game struggled to gain traction during its early access period. Heart Machine diligently released numerous updates, striving to refine the experience, but it has now been confirmed that development on Hyper Light Breaker is officially ending, accompanied by another wave of layoffs at the studio.
When Hyper Light Breaker launched in early access this January, it quickly became clear that the game needed significant polish. Although players praised its beautiful aesthetics and impressive boss encounters, it was plagued by performance problems and a gameplay loop that felt unfulfilling, indicating a substantial amount of work lay ahead.
True to their commitment, Heart Machine released a multitude of updates, including significant content additions that introduced new characters and an expanded arsenal of weapons. A major turning point was the ‘Buried Below’ update, which dramatically overhauled nearly every core system in a concerted effort to re-engage players and pave the way for a full 1.0 release. More recently, the ‘Double Down’ update further enriched the game with an additional boss battle, fresh explorable zones, and difficulty modifiers to challenge even the most seasoned players.
Despite these dedicated efforts, the game’s daily concurrent player counts on Steam frequently struggled to break into the triple digits, leading many to speculate that Hyper Light Breaker’s future was uncertain.
A trailer for Hyper Light Breaker showcased the game’s vibrant world and challenging encounters, offering a glimpse into its ambitious vision.
This recent decision follows an earlier round of layoffs that occurred just before the game’s initial launch. Heart Machine has now sadly confirmed further staff reductions, bringing an official end to Hyper Light Breaker’s development. In a statement to Game Developer, the studio explained, “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.”
Currently, it remains uncertain whether any additional updates, minor or substantial, will be released to provide a final closure for Hyper Light Breaker. Furthermore, there’s been no official announcement regarding the status of the game’s online servers, leaving players wondering if they will still be able to enjoy the co-op experience, which allowed up to three players to tackle challenging runs together. We have reached out to Heart Machine for clarification on both these critical questions.
Despite these setbacks, Heart Machine affirmed in their statement that they intend to continue creating video games as a “smaller core team.” This hopefully suggests that their upcoming platformer, Possessors, which is currently scheduled for release on Tuesday, November 11, will remain unaffected by these changes. We have also inquired with Heart Machine for an update on Possessors’ development status.