Until Dawn and Directive 8020 Developer Supermassive Games to Lay Off Up to 75 Employees

Supermassive Games, the acclaimed studio behind narrative-driven titles like Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures Anthology, has announced upcoming structural changes that will likely impact a substantial portion of its workforce. In a formal statement released via social media, management revealed that a formal redundancy consultation process has been initiated, which could result in up to 75 job losses once finalized.

“We have made the arduous choice to launch a redundancy consultation procedure, which we anticipate will affect up to 75 of our valued team members,” the official statement declares. “This represents an essential measure to safeguard the long-term viability of our organization. We recognize that this is an exceptionally challenging period for everyone involved, and our primary focus throughout this transition will be delivering comprehensive support to all impacted personnel.”

This announcement follows the recent May launch of the studio’s latest sci-fi horror title, Directive 8020. Originally scheduled for an October release, the game was postponed in July 2025 alongside a prior restructuring phase that eliminated 36 positions. Furthermore, industry reports from Bloomberg highlight that the British developer faced similar cutbacks in February 2024, shedding approximately 90 employees. Combined, these successive cutbacks account for nearly 200 lost positions within a span of less than three years.

Recent releases from the studio—including Directive 8020, Little Nightmares 3, and The Casting of Frank Stone—have experienced modest critical reception, holding Metacritic scores of 72, 71, and 68, respectively. Meanwhile, development on Until Dawn 2 has been entrusted to a separate studio.

These unfortunate cutbacks reflect a persistent industry-wide trend impacting game development studios globally. Notable instances throughout 2026 include workforce reductions at Battlefield Studios despite the commercial success of Battlefield 6, significant downsizing across Bungie’s Destiny 2 division, and Microsoft’s decision to close multiple internal teams resulting in thousands of job losses.