Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games reorganizing, anticipates staff layoffs

The layoff toll of 2024 keeps increasing, as Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games is going through a “period of consultation,” likely resulting in some jobs being lost. Supermassive is just one of many game development companies that have gone through similar reorganizations and employee layoffs.

The company announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 26 they are “undertaking a reorganization” and are “entering a period of consultation.” The consultations and reorganization will likely result in staff downsizing and layoffs, the company admits, saying it’s not a decision it’s “taking lightly.” The company claims it’s seeking to refocus itself on its “core strengths and upcoming titles” so Supermassive can maintain its continuous sustainability. The Until Dawn developer has therefore joined the wave of 2024 gaming layoffs, the total number of which has already greatly exceeded that of the previous year—and we’re only two months in.

Supermassive Games is best known for developing the interactive horror game Until Dawn, as well as the horror anthology series The Dark Pictures. Their upcoming projects include Little Nightmares 3 and another entry in The Dark Pictures, titled Directive 8020. The company’s games have been met with generally positive reviews from critics and players alike, though with some variance, particularly in the reception of some “episodes” of The Dark Pictures.

Gaming layoffs in 2024 are a serious and growing issue, mostly taking place within large corporate entities, such as Activision-Blizzard, which saw 1,900 employees laid off in January. Unity also had a considerable downsizing effort, with 1,800 developers losing their place at the company. Numerous others have gone through similar motions, bringing the total number of lost jobs in game development to over 6,000 in less than two months.

To put things into perspective, the entirety of 2023 saw between 6,000 and 7,000 cut jobs. Whatever the reasons, it’s certainly a rocky start, even with all the great games we’ve seen emerge in the past 60 days, including Helldivers 2 and Palworld, both of which were developed by smaller studios.