More than 70 people are leaving Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn, The Quarry and Directive 8020. Frank Tindle, a former employee, reported on LinkedIn in early October that "more than 70 people across several disciplines were leaving," according to Gamereactor. Developers, artists, producers, QA and operations staff are affected.
The studio hasn't made a public statement on these departures.
Announced in August
On August 11, 2026, Supermassive opened a redundancy consultation that "could result in 75 employees being laid off," Game Developer reported. The studio called it a "necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company," and added: "We know this will be an incredibly difficult time for everyone."
The consultation came three months after Directive 8020 launched in May 2026, after a delay from 2025.
Third round of cuts since 2024
- February 2024: around 90 roles, according to Bloomberg as cited by Game Developer
- July 2025: 36 employees, alongside Directive 8020's delay
- October 2026: more than 70 employees
On June 29, 2026, CEO Robert Henrysson announced he was stepping down from Supermassive and parent company Nordisk Games. Graeme Law is leading the studio on an interim basis while it looks for a permanent leader.
Game Developer wrote in August that the cuts cast the future of the studio's narrative franchises, including The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry, "into doubt."
For another studio hit by layoffs this month, see our coverage of Ninja Theory.
