Supermassive Games Announces Third Round of Layoffs Affecting Up to 75 Staff

Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn, has announced another round of layoffs, impacting up to 75 employees. This marks the third time in three years that the company has had to let staff go.

The news was confirmed via a statement on social media, where the studio described the "difficult decision to begin a redundancy consultation process" as a "necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company." They also acknowledged the impact on those affected, saying, "We know this will be an incredibly difficult time for everyone, and our priority throughout the process will be to provide support to all those impacted."

The latest release from Supermassive is Directive 8020, another entry in their popular horror anthology series, The Dark Pictures. The game launched in May and received a positive review from IGN, which praised its polished visuals and improved gameplay. However, it has received a mixed response from players on Steam, with only around 1,400 user reviews.

This follows previous staff reductions in February 2024, which affected about 90 employees, and another in July 2025, which cut 35 more jobs and further delayed the development of Directive 8020. In 2023, the company reported having around 350 staff, but that number has now been halved.

Based in Guildford, UK, Supermassive Games was founded in 2008 and has become one of the most recognized horror game developers worldwide. The success of their 2015 classic Until Dawn led to the creation of The Dark Pictures Anthology, a series of standalone narrative horror games where player choices lead to a variety of outcomes.

However, recent projects have received a lukewarm reception, including the 2025 sequel Little Nightmares 3 and the 2024 Dead by Daylight spinoff, The Casting of Frank Stone. Currently, the studio has no announced new projects.