Kwalee Labs has laid off the entire development team behind its recently released sci-fi bullet-hell shooter, Luna Abyss. CEO Hollie Emery announced the decision on LinkedIn, stating that the team's redundancy was "completely outside of their control."
Luna Abyss launched in May for PC and current-generation consoles. While the game has garnered a "very positive" user rating on Steam from 599 reviews, its peak concurrent player count reached only 317 users. The game also launched day-one on Xbox Game Pass for PC and cloud.
Emery expressed pride in the team's work, noting the "love and support" the game received from the industry and media. Despite facing challenges, she described the development as a career highlight. The entire team is now available for new opportunities.
Luna Abyss is a first-person action-adventure that blends bullet-hell combat with platforming. Players control Fawkes, a prisoner on Luna caught between a prophecy and their sentence. The game has been praised for its inventive level design, Metroid Prime-inspired shooting mechanics, and horror-influenced art direction. The crowded release schedule in May, which saw numerous high-profile titles debut, is cited as a potential reason for Luna Abyss's launch going relatively unnoticed. It is speculated that the game did not meet Kwalee's internal performance targets, though specific sales figures have not been disclosed.