Until Dawn Developer Blames 'Challenging and Ever-Evolving Environment' as It Announces Layoffs, Delays Long-Awaited Next Horror Game Directive 8020 Until 2026

Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures Anthology horror series, has announced plans to reduce its workforce by up to 36 employees in a new round of layoffs.

In a statement posted to its social media channels today, Supermassive also revealed a delay to its highly anticipated sci-fi horror title, Directive 8020, which will now release in the first half of 2026.

Addressing the staff reductions, Supermassive said it needed to restructure its team to better align with a challenging and rapidly changing games development landscape. This follows an earlier round of layoffs in March 2024, when the studio announced it would cut approximately 90 positions with similar reasoning.

As of 2023, Supermassive reported having roughly 350 employees, meaning nearly a third of its team has been let go over the past 18 months.

“We remain committed to our upcoming projects and have decided to shift the release of Directive 8020 to the first half of 2026,” Supermassive said. “The feedback we’ve received so far has been outstanding, and this extra time will allow us to deliver the best possible experience for our fans. We sincerely appreciate the patience and support of our community.”

Directive 8020, a standalone entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, was first hinted at in early 2022 among a list of rumored upcoming titles. It was officially revealed later that year in a trailer at the end of The Dark Pictures: The Devil In Me. Now, three years later, players are still waiting to experience it.

A statement from Supermassive Games. pic.twitter.com/Vom1CSGYGs

— Supermassive Games (@SuperMGames) July 22, 2025

The Dark Pictures Anthology began in 2019 with the eerie maritime mystery Man of Medan, followed by the historical horror Little Hope in 2020, and the Iraq-set House of Ashes in 2021. The murder hotel-themed The Devil in Me arrived in 2022, then came the virtual reality spin-off Switchback VR in 2023.

Since then, development on new entries in the series has slowed, with Directive 8020 now set to launch at least three years after its predecessor and positioned as a more self-contained experience. Supermassive says it’s used the extended timeline to refine the franchise’s gameplay, though connections to earlier games—such as through the enigmatic recurring character, the Curator—are expected to be minimized.

Meanwhile, Supermassive will continue development on its delayed title Little Nightmares 3, currently scheduled for release on October 10. The studio confirmed that today’s layoffs do not impact this project.