Supermassive Games has announced job cuts affecting "up to 75" employees, marking the third consecutive year of significant layoffs at the studio. This latest round of reductions comes nearly three months after the release of Directive 8020, the most recent installment in The Dark Pictures horror anthology.
In a statement shared on X, Supermassive Games explained that the firings were "a necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company." This is not the first time the developer, known for Until Dawn, has cited "sustainability" as a reason for layoffs. In 2024, approximately 90 employees were reportedly let go, with up to 150 positions at risk, and the company again pointed to "continued sustainability of the company" at that time. Prior to that, around 36 people were laid off in 2025.
Supermassive Games was acquired by Nordisk Games in 2022, a company that also owns Avalanche Studios, the developer of Just Cause, and MercurySteam, the studio behind Metroid Dread. Reports indicate that Avalanche Studios closed its Liverpool location within the past year, and MercurySteam also implemented job cuts.
While Supermassive is widely recognized for its 2015 title Until Dawn, it was not involved in the development of the recently announced Until Dawn remake, which Sony revealed in June to be created by Firesprite. Supermassive, however, did take over development duties for Little Nightmares III, succeeding Tarsier Studios which created the first two games in the series.
