{"rewrite":{"id":"r_e76bd3f73d382bdd67462f2a","clusterId":"c_f13fd90659d2cb416e6afce8","slug":"supermassive-games-announces-layoffs-for-third-consecutive-year","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Supermassive Games Announces Layoffs for Third Consecutive Year","summary":"Supermassive Games announced on August 11 it will begin a consultation process for staff reductions, with up to 75 employees affected. The studio has about 170 staff, meaning over 40% could be cut. This follows layoffs of about 90 people in 2024 and 36 in 2025. The studio's first self-published title, Directive 8020, has a Mixed rating on Steam.","whyItMatters":"The layoffs mark a third consecutive year of reductions at Supermassive Games, and its first self-published title, Directive 8020, appears to be struggling in reviews and sales, raising questions about the studio's future direction.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSupermassive Games, the UK studio behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures series, announced on August 11 that it will begin a consultation process for staff reductions, with up to 75 employees expected to be affected. The studio\u0026#39;s careers page lists about 170 employees, suggesting over 40% of staff could be reduced.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the third consecutive year of layoffs. In 2024, the studio cut about 90 people, roughly 30% of its workforce at the time, and in 2025, 36 staff members were laid off. The studio recently developed Little Nightmares 3 for Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in October 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIts first self-published title, Directive 8020, launched on May 12 after a delay. As of writing, the game holds a Mixed rating on Steam, with 63% positive reviews out of 1,300 user reviews, and a peak concurrent player count of 3,072, the weakest launch among the studio\u0026#39;s recent games. Sales figures have not been disclosed.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Supermassive Games is cutting up to 75 staff, a third straight year of layoffs. Directive 8020, its first self-published game, has a Mixed Steam rating and weak launch numbers.","twitterPost":"Supermassive Games announces layoffs for up to 75 staff, third consecutive year. Directive 8020, its first self-published title, has a Mixed Steam rating and weak launch numbers.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Supermassive Games announced layoffs affecting up to 75 staff, the third consecutive year of reductions. The studio's first self-published title, Directive 8020, has a Mixed rating on Steam and a weak launch, raising questions about its future.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260812-459768/\",\"title\":\"Supermassive Games, Studio Behind 'Until Dawn' and Other Horror Games, Announces Major Layoffs; Third Consecutive Year of Staff Reductions, Possibly Affected by Struggles of New Title\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4342,"outputTokens":662,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786499867,"createdAt":"2026-08-12T01:49:37.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-12T01:51:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-12T01:49:37.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_f13fd90659d2cb416e6afce8","canonicalTitle":"『Until Dawn』など生んだホラーゲーム特化スタジオSupermassive Games、大規模レイオフ。3年連続でごっそり人員削減、新作の苦戦も影響か","representativeArticleId":"a_5d764b072796046e45aaf20f","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Until Dawn\"],\"studios\":[\"Supermassive Games\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-12T01:11:16.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-12T03:08:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-12T03:16:09.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260812q","title":"『Until Dawn』『リトルナイトメア3』のSupermassive Gamesが最大75名の人員削減へ。苦渋の決断としたうえで、会社の持続可能性の確保が理由と説明"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260812-459768/","title":"『Until Dawn』など生んだホラーゲーム特化スタジオSupermassive Games、大規模レイオフ。3年連続でごっそり人員削減、新作の苦戦も影響か"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Until Dawn"],"studios":["Supermassive Games"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}