Heart Machine
Heart Machine, Inc. is an American independent video game development studio founded by Alx Preston. The studio is best known for developing Hyper Light Drifter (2016) and Solar Ash (2021).
 | |
Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Alx Preston |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | |
| Website | heartmachine.com |
Heart Machine, Inc. is an American independent video game development studio founded by Alx Preston. The studio is best known for developing Hyper Light Drifter (2016) and Solar Ash (2021).
History
[edit]The studio was founded by Preston in 2013 to support development of Hyper Light Drifter, a game that he was leading the development of during a crowdfunding campaign. The name Heart Machine draws from various medical conditions related to congenital heart disease that Preston had suffered and which were also inspirations for Hyper Light Drifter.[1]
With Hyper Light Drifter far exceeding its crowdfunding goals, Preston established Heart Machine in Glitch Space, an open co-operative office area he had previously helped establish in Culver City, California, for other independent developers.[2] Hyper Light Drifter was released in 2016 to generally positive reviews and received several gaming award nominations.
The studio announced its next title, Solar Ash, in March 2019, to be published on Windows by Annapurna Interactive. According to Preston, the studio had been working on Solar Ash for some time after finishing up release on Hyper Light Drifter, and the new game includes "a whole new set of incredible tech and key innovations".[3] It is said to be set in the same universe as Hyper Light Drifter[4] but is not a direct sequel to that game.[5] Alx Preston is once again acting as the main designer, with Zoë Quinn writing for the narrative. Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace) is slated to return to compose music for it. For the new game, Heart Machine has decided to abandon the 2D pixel art style and instead opt for a more open 3D world with a third-person camera view of the player character,[6] although they have tried to retain the original game world's aesthetic and translated it to the new style. Preston has said that console releases are in the works as well.[5] An introduction trailer was revealed in June 2020 at the PS5 digital showcase. The game was released on December 2, 2021.[7]
On March 31, 2022, Heart Machine revealed their next game Hyper Light Breaker, originally set to release in 2023.[8] The soundtrack is expected to be handled by the studio's audio team and Disasterpeace isn't set to return this time around.[9] Hyper Light Breaker's release date was delayed to 2024, with the announcement on March 22, 2023 stating "additional time to focus on Hyper Light Breaker’s development will allow us to bring the game to its full potential".[10] Arc Games, formerly Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, is set to publish the game.
On June 7, 2024, Heart Machine revealed their new title, Possesor(s), a 2D sidescrolling action game set to be published by Devolver Digital in 2025.[11][12]
The studio announced in October 2025 that it was laying off a number of staff and were ending development of Hyper Light Breaker, with plans to release a meaningful final update by January 2026. Development of smaller titles like Possesor(s) would continue.[13]
Games
[edit]| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Hyper Light Drifter | Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Self-published |
| 2021 | Solar Ash | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S,Nintendo Switch | Annapurna Interactive |
| 2025[a] | Hyper Light Breaker | Windows | Arc Games |
| 2025 | Possessor(s) | Windows | Devolver Digital |
References
[edit]- ^ Priestman, Chris (2016-06-02). "Hyper Light Drifter – how heart disease inspired one of 2016's great games". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- ^ Alexander, Jem (February 15, 2018). "When We Made... Hyper Light Drifter". MCV/Develop. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (March 13, 2019). "Solar Ash Kingdom: Hyper Light Drifter Devs Reveal New Game". IGN. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "(Twitter) Alx Preston confirms that Solar Ash takes place in the Hyper Light Drifter universe".
- ^ a b "Alx Preston | Heart Machine (@HeartMachineZ) on X".
- ^ "Alx Preston | Heart Machine (@HeartMachineZ) on X".
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley. "Solar Ash Delayed To December, Less Than Two Weeks Away From Release Date". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
- ^ Bell, Sean (31 March 2022). "Hyper Light Breaker, a 3D Co-op Game Set In the Hyper Light Drifter Universe, Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ "(Reddit) Heart Machine answers frequently asked questions following the reveal of Hyper Light Breaker". Reddit. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ Stewart, Marcus. "Hyper Light Breaker Early Access Launch Delayed To 2024". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2024-06-04). "Devolver Digital and Heart Machine to announce new game on June 7". Gematsu. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (November 2, 2023). "Everything Announced During the 2024 Summer Devolver Direct Presentation". Game Informer. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ Tate, Matt (October 9, 2025). "Hyper Light Breaker studio will end the game's development and lay off staff". Engadget. Retrieved December 3, 2025.