Summary
Until DawndeveloperSupermassive Gameshas recently announced layoffs. Supermassive Games is known for makinghorror games with impactful choices, and it’s the latest company affected by one of the worst recent trends in the gaming industry.
Supermassive Gameswas founded back in 2008, and it initially served as one of Sony’s second-party developers, working on games such asLittleBigPlanet,Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves,andKillzone HD. The studio rose in prominence in 2015 withUntil Dawn, a horror game with a big emphasis on choice. Following that, the company continued to create horror games in the same style with theDark Pictures Anthologyseries, and the recentThe Quarry.
Now, Supermassive Games has officially announced the layoffs of an undisclosed number of employees after a “period of consultation.” According to the developer, this decision was made with “deep regret,” and there were efforts to avoid this outcome, but ultimately Supermassive Games was not immune to thewave of layoffs in the gaming industrythat started last year. While the number of employees who will be laid off was not disclosed by Supermassive Games,Bloomberg reportedthat around 150 people in the studio were warned their jobs were at risk, with expectations of around 90 people being laid off after the consultation period.
This unfortunate announcement comes on the heels of an exciting time for Supermassive Games’ fans, asUntil Dawnhas recently been confirmed for PC and PS5. This new version does not have an official release date yet, but it has already been revealed that it will bring better graphics and an improved experience. Apart from this project, Supermassive Games is also working onLittle Nightmares 3, and potentially more games in theDark Picturesbrand. It’s unclear how and whether these projects will be affected by the upcoming layoffs.
How Many Employees Were Laid Off From Supermassive Games?
This recently announced layoff is part of an unfortunate trend which started in 2023 and has been ramping up in 2024. 2023 saw over 10,000 workers losing their jobs at game studios. During January 2024 alone, however, over 6,000 people were laid off. Most of these losses come from major studios, such as whenMicrosoft announced major layoffs of around 1,900 people. Other studios such as Unity decided to cut around 25% of its entire staff, affecting 1,800 people, and Riot Games laid off around 530 employees, for example. There were also many examples of small companies reducing their workforce, too, including Bossa Studios, Lost Boys Interactive, Pixelberry Studios, and others.
Until Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
Only Your Choices Determine Who SurvivesEight friends are trapped together on a remote mountain retreat, and they aren’t alone. Gripped by dread, with tensions running high, they must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece.Play as each of the eight characters and experience fear like you never have before. Every decision you make in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for whom? Your actions alone will decide who survives Until Dawn.Make the impossible choices, where every decision in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for who?Carve your path to survival with branching story lines that promise no two experiences will be the same. The choices you make may ripple unseen into moments of grave peril, or they may very well save a life.
