Chris Kerr,<\/p>\n
Senior Editor, News,GameDeveloper.com<\/p>\n
September 17, 2026<\/p>\n
schedule1 Min Read<\/p>\n
Indie studio Heart Machine has laid off “nearly everyone” after a publisher pulled funding for an unannounced title.<\/p>\n
Studio founder Alx Preston broke the news on LinkedIn and said he’s not sure how Heart Machine will survive.<\/p>\n
“I have very difficult news today. We had been working on an unannounced title, funded by a publisher. This week, they decided to no longer move forward with it. Without this key income for the studio, any other immediate prospects or other funds, nearly everyone at the studio had to be laid off. It’s devastating.” wrote Preston.<\/p>\n
“Everyone will be provided with as much support as possible, including assisting with placement. If you know of any roles for extraordinarily talented, kind people, please reach out and we will coordinate.”<\/p>\n
Preston said navigating the video game industry has become “extremely difficult” and cast doubt on whether the studio can bounce back from its latest round of layoffs. “I\u2019m not sure yet what\u2019s next for Heart Machine to survive. However, we’ll keep pushing to build a path while we are still here,” he added.<\/p>\n