Luna Abyss is an atmospheric bullet hell game that borrows from Metroid Prime, Returnal, and other shooters to punch above its weight. Unfortunately, despite some glowing reviews and positive player ratings on Steam, the studio behind the day-and-date Game Pass release is already preparing to close its doors less than a month after shipping it.
“We’re enamored by the love and support it received both by our industry and critically by journalists and media,” Kwalee Labs’ CEO Hollie Emery wrote on LinkedIn on June 16 (via Game Informer). “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!).”
The executive continued, “Unfortunately as of yesterday, the entire team has been made redundant; a decision that was completely outside of our control. As a result, the entire team are available for work as of today…I am so proud of what we were able to achieve with Luna Abyss, for such a small team, in a genre that is incredibly difficult to hit a good review score in!”
The game launched on May 21 across Steam and console for $30 but could be played for free by existing Game Pass subscribers on PC and Xbox Series X/S. Polygon called it “quietly one of the best shooters of 2026” and a small but passionate group of players buzzed about Luna Abyss on Steam where it currently has an 86-percent positive rating. It even has over an 80 on Metacritic.
That decent reception for an unknown studio’s debut project, and whatever Game Pass deal Kwalee Labs secured with Microsoft, unfortunately haven’t been enough to give the team a second shot at the horror shooter genre. It’s another stark reminder that even good games with something unique to offer and a marketing push from Game Pass are struggling to break through.
