Supermassive Games Delays Directive 8020 To 2026 Amid Studio Layoffs

Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology developer Supermassive Games has announced impending layoffs. As a result, it has delayed its upcoming horror game Directive 8020 from October 2 to the first half of 2026.

In a social media message, the Surrey, England-based studio vaguely cites the “challenging and ever-evolving environment” of the games industry and the need to adapt to the current conditions. This means it has initiated a redundancy consultation process where upwards of 36 employees are expected to be laid off.

“This decision was not taken lightly, and we know this will be an incredibly difficult time for everyone,” reads a section of the message. “Our absolute priority will be to offer full support to those affected.”

Supermassive states that despite a generally positive response to Directive 8020 after a playable showing at Summer Game Fest, it has decided to delay the launch to “deliver the very best experience for our fans.” The upcoming horror game is the studio’s first sci-fi game, and centers on the crew of a crashed spaceship (including actress Lashana Lynch in the starring role) fighting to survive a shapeshifting alien menace.

Despite this shake-up, Supermassive states that its development of Little Nightmares III, which was recently confirmed to launch on October 10, is unaffected by today’s news and thus remains on track to release on time.

You can read Supermassive’s full statement below (click the image to enlarge).

For more on Supermassive Games, you can read our review of its latest game, 2024's The Casting of Frank Stone, here. You can also check out every game scheduled to launch next year with our 2026 release calendar. 

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