Supermassive Games contributes to the growing number of layoffs in the industry

Supermassive Games, the renowned developer behind popular titles such as Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures anthology, has unfortunately joined the growing list of studios in the gaming industry that are laying off staff. In an announcement made today, the studio revealed its plans to reorganize and enter a period of consultation due to various challenges faced by the industry. This restructure may result in the layoff of up to 90 employees, which accounts for around 25-30% of Supermassive’s workforce.

According to Bloomberg, 150 employees at Supermassive were given notice that their jobs were at risk in accordance with labor laws. It is anticipated that around 90 individuals will be affected by the layoffs following the consultation period. Supermassive sought to address this difficult situation in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), expressing their awareness of the unsettling nature of the process and assuring that they will work closely with all employees involved to conduct it as respectfully and compassionately as possible.

The unfortunate reality is that Supermassive Games is just one of many companies in the gaming industry that have recently had to make the difficult decision to lay off employees. In 2023 alone, and within just two months of 2024, over 1,600 jobs have been lost. Companies such as Microsoft, Riot Games, and Twitch have all announced layoffs this year. Even securing investment funds has not been enough to prevent this trend, as Build a Rocket Boy had to let go of staff shortly after raising $110 million in funding.

Despite the challenges, Supermassive Games remains committed to focusing on its core strengths and upcoming titles. Among these highly anticipated releases are Little Nightmares III, a Dead by Daylight spinoff titled The Casting of Frank Stone (which also saw layoffs at Behavior Interactive in January), and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020. Additionally, fans of the studio’s 2015 hit Until Dawn can look forward to a remastered version, although the remaster is being handled by Ballistic Moon.

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