Dev releases acclaimed shooter, team laid off less than a month later

Relatively unknown studio Kwalee Labs launched Luna Abyss on May 21, 2026 after seven years of development. The cosmic horror bullet-hell shooter earned strong reception — 86% positive on Steam, an 81 on Metacritic, and at least one review called it "amazing" — but less than a month later the entire development team was laid off and the studio shut down.

CEO Hollie Emery posted on LinkedIn, thanking players and saying: "We're enamoured by the love and support it received both by our industry and critically by journalists and media," and "Whilst we faced many challenges along the way, it has been the highlight of our careers - and we are incredibly proud that it has finally seen the light of day (thank you to everyone who believed in us!)." She added, "Unfortunately as of yesterday, the entire team has been made redundant; a decision that was completely outside of our control.

kwalee labs, luna abyss, cosmic horror, bullet hell, shooter, layoffs, studio closure, hollie emery, steam, metacritic