Job Cuts Hit Supermassive Games as Industry Struggles Continue

Supermassive Games, known for creating hits like Until Dawn and The Quarry, is undergoing a huge reduction in its workforce. Bloomberg has revealed that the studio is in the process of letting go of nearly 90 employees. This move impacts around 30 percent of the studio’s 300-strong team, signaling a major shift in the company’s structure. The layoffs come as the gaming industry grapples with widespread challenges, affecting even the most established players.

In a public statement, Supermassive Games acknowledged the tough industry conditions and the hard decisions it had to make:

“It’s no secret that the games industry is currently facing significant challenges, and unfortunately we aren’t immune to this. After much deliberation and with deep regret, we are therefore undertaking a reorganization of Supermassive Games. As a result, we are entering into a period of consultation, which we anticipate will result in the loss of some of our colleagues. This is not a decision that’s been taken lightly, with many efforts made to avoid this outcome. We are all too aware of how unsettling and difficult this process is going to be for all our employees and will be working closely with all those involved to ensure the process is conducted as respectfully and compassionately as possible. We’re committed to focusing our efforts on our core strength and upcoming titles to ensure the continued sustainability of the company.”

Despite the layoffs, Supermassive Games is moving forward with projects like Little Nightmares III, slated for release this year. This development comes amid news of a PS5 and PC remake of Until Dawn, although Supermassive is not leading this project; it’s in the hands of UK-based Ballistic Moon.

This shake-up at Supermassive is part of a larger trend of job cuts across the gaming industry, with over 5,500 layoffs reported in the first two months of 2024 alone, following a year where more than 10,000 individuals in the gaming and adjacent sectors lost their jobs. This wave of layoffs includes significant reductions by major players like Microsoft, which laid off 10,000 employees in January amidst its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.