Heart Machine, the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Hyper Light Breaker, has faced a new wave of layoffs in October. There has been no official statement from the developers yet, but according to GameDeveloper, four employees have already been affected by layoffs this week.
Among those laid off are Possessor(s) producer Myriam Lachapelle, 3D animator Jordan Campbell, VFX artist Ivan Phu, and senior gameplay manager Justin Biles. All of them confirmed the news via posts on the Bluesky social network. Lachapelle will continue to work until the completion of Possessor(s), while the remaining employees have left the studio immediately.
Previously, the studio announced layoffs due to "external factors beyond their control," retaining a "small core team."
Possessor(s) was announced in June 2024 for PC. The game is a side scroller set in a metropolis after an "interdimensional catastrophe," with two characters who experience the events of the game in their own way. The current development status after the latest wave of cuts remains unknown.
