Supermassive Games joins the ongoing wave of industry layoffs, announcing redundancy consultations affecting up to 75 staff members. The studio behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology made the announcement on social media today.
The timing compounds existing industry turmoil. Supermassive launched Directive 8020, its most recent horror adventure title, just three months ago. The redundancy process suggests the game underperformed commercially or failed to meet internal projections, prompting swift cost-cutting measures.
This announcement arrives amid a brutal period for game development studios. The past few years have seen thousands of layoffs across major publishers and independent developers alike. Studios from Activision Blizzard to smaller indie shops have announced significant workforce reductions, driven by post-pandemic budget corrections, disappointing game sales, and corporate consolidation.
Supermassive Games built its reputation on narrative-driven horror experiences. Until Dawn launched on PlayStation 4 in 2015 and found critical success. The Dark Pictures Anthology, a spinoff series launched in 2019, extended the studio's presence in interactive horror. Both franchises rely on choice-driven storytelling and cinematic presentation that appeal to specific audiences but face unpredictable sales performance.
The company operates under the Endeavor Group umbrella following its acquisition in 2021. That corporate structure provides some stability but also exposes the studio to parent company cost management directives.
Up to 75 positions represents a substantial portion of Supermassive's workforce, suggesting deeper structural changes ahead. The redundancy consultation process in the UK typically requires formal notification periods and negotiation windows before final layoff decisions take effect.
For the broader industry, this signals continued contraction despite the success of certain titles and the ongoing demand for games. Studios betting on narrative-driven experiences face particular pressure as production costs rise and player preferences shift toward