Supermassive Games, the renowned British game development studio, has confirmed another wave of layoffs, marking the second workforce reduction in the past 18 months. Alongside this difficult decision, the company has also announced a delay for its highly anticipated sci-fi horror title, Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game, pushing its release to the first half of 2026.

The Guildford-based studio, known for its work on the Dark Pictures Anthology series, had expanded significantly in recent years, reaching a peak of over 350 employees by June 2023. However, economic challenges and shifting industry trends have forced the company to reevaluate its operations, leading to these recent cutbacks.

The July 2025 announcement revealed that up to 36 positions would be eliminated. In an official statement shared across social media platforms, Supermassive described the layoffs as a "painful but necessary" measure to adapt to the current economic climate and ensure the studio's long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive market.

This workforce reduction appears to have directly impacted the development timeline for Directive 8020, which was originally scheduled for an October 2025 release. While the studio hasn't provided a specific new release date beyond the "first half of 2026" window, industry analysts speculate the game might now target a Q2 launch.

Interestingly, Supermassive's other major project, Little Nightmares 3, remains unaffected by these changes and maintains its October 10 release date. This suggests the layoffs were primarily focused on the team working on Directive 8020.

These layoffs at Supermassive Games reflect broader trends in the gaming industry. Earlier in July 2025, Microsoft initiated significant job cuts across its gaming divisions, affecting thousands of employees. The industry-wide downsizing appears driven by multiple factors including rising development costs, economic pressures, and the need for companies to streamline operations in response to changing market conditions.

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