Last month, Heart Machine announced that they would be ending development on their roguelike follow-up to the seminal indie RPG Hyper Light Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker. As a result, as is far too common in the industry these days, a number of staff were laid off – including a writer on the yet-to-be released Possessor(s). As a result, a post cropped up on the Possessor(s)’s discussions page on Steam with some expressing discomfort at the idea of buying the game post-layoffs, prompting the game’s narrative director to explain why he (understandably) would still like it if you bought it.
Harris Foster, representing the game’s publisher Devolver Digital, explained in the comments that Heart Machine had confirmed that “all revenue-share eligible team members who contributed to Possessor(s) will continue to receive their share,” including those no longer at the studio.
In turn, another comment from a user named Anthem of Grimm questioned whether people should buy the game or not “so that the developers that were fired can receive pennies on the dollar?” This is where narrative director Tyler Hutchison came in with a very honest response: “As a developer who is slated for lay off – PLEASE BUY THIS GAME!”
Hutchison broke down a few of the reasons why you should still consider buying the game, from the practical to the personal. For one, he noted how if the game ends up doing well, it could make those that have been laid off be able to find work easier; “‘Oh you worked on Possessors? That game made a bajillion dollars. Please have a stable job with my company. Or Please have a bunch of money to make a new video game.'”
He also pointed out that everyone on the team made Possessor(s) “make games because we want people to play them and have fun. IF no one does that… I really just wasted 3 damn years of my life.” And Hutchison also pointed out the profit sharing point, explaining that he knows he will receive a share, though didn’t want to speak for everyone.
These are all generally quite fair reasons, and humanises the whole process in a way that is often quite corporate. How are we meant to respond when a company has layoffs? When it’s a massive studio, it’s unlikely enough people will stop buying their games to truly make a dent, but for a developer like Heart Machine, could it make the difference? I don’t have the hard data to comment otherwise, still, it gives me pause.
There isn’t a correct answer to any of this, it’s ultimately up to you and your own moral compass in this situation. For what it’s worth, Hutchison’s explanation did convince Anthem of Grimm to pick Possessor(s) up, so if anything this is a good example of why we need more open conversations about these topics.
Possessor(s) is due out next week on November 11th.
