Supermassive Games, the studio famous for creating The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology, has recently faced the unfortunate need to downsize. A report from Bloomberg disclosed that the company has identified 150 positions as potentially redundant. This initial announcement was followed by a confirmation that around 90 employees would be facing layoffs. The information was initially shared with the company's staff via an email.
Following these developments, Supermassive Games addressed the public through a statement on Twitter. The company expressed its intention to undergo a restructuring process. This process involves a period of consultation with the staff, which is likely to conclude with some employees leaving the company. Though the company did not specify the exact number of job losses, it emphasized its commitment to concentrate on its primary strengths and forthcoming projects. This focus aims to ensure the company's ongoing viability.
Currently, Supermassive Games is engaged in three key projects. One of the projects is Little Nightmares 3, which is set to release this year across various platforms. This game serves as a continuation of the horror-platforming series originally developed by Tarsier Studios. Another project in the pipeline is The Casting of Frank Stone, a narrative-driven single-player game derived from Behavior Interactive’s Dead by Daylight. This game is being developed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Furthermore, Supermassive is in the process of launching the Season 2 premiere under the title Directive 8020. However, details about its release timeframe or the specific platforms it will be released on have yet to be disclosed.
The layoffs at Supermassive Games are part of a broader trend of job cuts across the gaming industry this year, affecting companies such as Activision Blizzard, Visual Concepts, Black Forest Games, among others. This move by Supermassive Games marks a challenging period for the company as it navigates its way through a significant restructuring effort with the hope of emerging more focused and sustainable.