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Until Dawn Studio Supermassive Games Cuts Up to 75 Jobs in Its Third Round of Layoffs Since 2024

The cuts come three months after Directive 8020 shipped to a muted commercial reception, and with the studio still without a permanent CEO.

Meridians Tech Desk

Published 13 August 2026 · Updated 13 August 2026 · 4 min read

Until Dawn Studio Supermassive Games Cuts Up to 75 Jobs in Its Third Round of Layoffs Since 2024Gaming
Photo: Photo by Cemrecan Yurtman / Pexels (Pexels License — free to use, no attribution legally required (credited above as good practice).)

The short answer

  • Supermassive Games is cutting up to 75 jobs — its third layoff round in three years, after roughly 90 cuts in 2024 and 36 in 2025.
  • The studio says the move is 'a necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company.'
  • Its most recent game, Directive 8020, shipped in May 2026 to solid reviews (Metacritic 72) but reportedly underwhelming sales.
  • The future of The Dark Pictures Anthology is unclear, and the studio has had no permanent CEO since June 2026.

Supermassive Games, the British studio behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, is laying off up to 75 employees through a UK statutory redundancy consultation — its third round of cuts in three years. The studio said the move is "a necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company," adding that "our priority throughout the process will be to provide support to those impacted."

A pattern of shrinking

  • February 2024: roughly 90 jobs cut
  • July 2025: 36 jobs cut, alongside a delay of Directive 8020 for additional polish
  • August 2026: up to 75 more jobs cut, announced August 11
  • Combined, the three rounds account for roughly 200 potential job losses since 2023

What's happening to Supermassive's games

Directive 8020 finally shipped in May 2026 to a Metacritic score of 72 but, according to reporting on the layoffs, underperformed commercially — just three months before this latest round of cuts. Rights to the studio's best-known franchise, Until Dawn, have moved to Sony's Firesprite, which is developing a sequel targeted for 2027. The Dark Pictures Anthology, once mapped out as an eight-game series, is no longer bound to that roadmap, and the studio hasn't confirmed what it's working on next beyond a hidden teaser some fans have linked to a project called The Craven Man. Supermassive has also been operating without a permanent CEO since Robert Henrysson stepped down on June 29, 2026.

“This is a necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company.”

Supermassive Games, company statement

Sources

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