Supermassive’s 75-job cut plan puts its horror pipeline under pressure

Narrative horror is unusually vulnerable to staffing reductions because its games rely on large, interdependent teams for branching scripts, performance capture, cinematic editing, animation, engineering, and late-stage quality assurance. A reduction in the wrong department can affect far more than a studio’s headcount: it can narrow choices, delay polish, or force fewer projects to run at once.

Supermassive Games has started a UK redundancy consultation process that it expects could result in up to 75 job losses. The Guildford studio, known for Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures Anthology, Little Nightmares III, and Directive 8020, described the move as necessary for its “long-term sustainability” and said it would support affected employees through the process.

The wording is significant: consultation means the proposed total is not necessarily final. Redeployment, voluntary departures, and changes to role plans can alter the number. The more consequential update will be which disciplines are affected. Cuts concentrated in shared services, publishing, or support teams carry one kind of risk; losses across narrative, cinematics, QA, and core development would more directly constrain the studio’s next games.

This is reported as Supermassive’s third round of reductions in about three years. Earlier cuts included around 90 roles in 2024 and 36 in July 2025, when Directive 8020 was also delayed into 2026. The game has since released, earning a mixed response from Steam users despite praise for elements including its visuals and improved gameplay.

For players, the immediate concern is not a confirmed cancellation. It is a more cautious production model: fewer simultaneous games, longer gaps between releases, and greater emphasis on established horror brands rather than riskier new projects. Previously announced work may be protected, but staffing pressure can still lead to narrower scope or launch-date changes.

Watch for the consultation’s final total, confirmation of affected teams, and any revised schedules for future Dark Pictures or Until Dawn-related projects; those details will show how deeply Supermassive’s production capacity has changed.