Supermassive Video games, developer of Until Dawn and the Darkish Footage Anthology horror sequence, has stated it’s going to lay off as much as 36 employees in a contemporary wave of redundancies.
In a statement revealed to the studio’s social media this afternoon, Supermassive additionally confirmed a delay to its long-awaited sci-fi horror mission Directive 8020, which can now arrive in “the primary half of 2026”.
Asserting the studio’s job losses, Supermassive stated it had been pressured to adapt its staff construction to “higher align” with “a difficult and ever-evolving surroundings” during which to make video games. The cuts comply with an earlier spherical of redundancies in March 2024, when the developer stated it will shed round 90 staff in a similarly-worded assertion.
Supermassive beforehand acknowledged it had round 350 staff as of 2023, that means it has laid off round a 3rd of the studio over the previous 18 months.
“We stay centered on our upcoming initiatives and have made the choice to maneuver the launch of Directive 8020 to the primary half of 2026,” Supermassive stated. “The response to the sport thus far has been improbable, and this extra time will assist us ship the perfect expertise for our followers. We’re deeply grateful for the persistence and help of our group.”
A standalone entry in Supermassive’s Darkish Footage Anthology, Directive 8020 was considered one of an inventory of apparently-upcoming entries within the sequence noticed again in early 2022. The sport was then made official later that yr, in a trailer included on the finish of The Darkish Footage: The Satan In Me. Three years on, nonetheless, and followers are nonetheless ready to play it.
A press release from Supermassive Video games. pic.twitter.com/Vom1CSGYGs
— Supermassive Video games (@SuperMGames) July 22, 2025
The Darkish Footage Anthology kicked off in 2019 with spooky boat thriller Man of Medan, earlier than 2020 historic horror Little Hope, and then 2021’s Iraq-set Home of Ashes. Next up was the homicide hotel-inspired The Satan in Me in 2022, earlier than then the digital actuality spin-off Switchback VR a yr later.
Since then, progress on additional entries within the sequence seems to have slowed, with Directive 8020 now set to reach a minimum of three years after the franchise’s earlier entry, and positioned as a extra standalone title. Supermassive has stated it has used the additional time to enhance the franchise’s gameplay, although hyperlinks to earlier video games — such as through the mysterious recurring character of the Curator — sound like they’re going to be performed down.
Within the meantime, Supermassive will proceed engaged on its delayed Little Nightmares 3, at the moment set to launch on October 10. Growth on this mission is unaffected by at present’s layoffs, the studio has confirmed.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social