Sweet Baby Inc. Ruins Another Game: Hyper Light Breaker’s Early Access Disaster

Sweet Baby Inc.'s Latest Disaster: Hyper Light Breaker Developer Lays Off Staff Before Early Access Release

Heart Machine, the studio behind the highly anticipated Hyper Light Breaker, is already cutting staff ahead of the game’s Early Access debut on Steam. Despite this alarming development, the company’s Community Manager, Yiyi Zhang, reassured fans that the layoffs wouldn’t impact the game’s upcoming launch.

In a statement, Zhang noted that a strong and successful release could open doors for laid-off workers to return, depending on the game’s performance. However, the timing raises serious concerns about the project's future, especially with Embracer Group’s recent decision to retain Hyper Light Breaker following its sell-off of Gearbox to Take-Two Interactive in March.

Adding insult to injury, Hyper Light Breaker has been linked to Sweet Baby Inc., the controversial narrative design firm known for its role in other game flops like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Sweet Baby Inc. reportedly contributed to world-building, story structure, and character development for Hyper Light Breaker, and the game was promptly added to the "Sweet Baby Inc. Detected" curator group on Steam, further tarnishing its reputation.

Hyper Light Breaker is slated for Early Access on Steam sometime in 2025, but with recent setbacks and the studio's financial struggles, it seems poised to join the growing list of failed projects Sweet Baby Inc. has been involved with in 2024. Other titles under the firm’s influence, such as Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, Unknown 9: Awakening, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, have all faltered in their own right, leaving fans and critics skeptical about the future of Hyper Light Breaker.

It’s becoming clear that Sweet Baby Inc.'s track record with major titles continues to disappoint, and Hyper Light Breaker may just be another casualty in its long line of failures.