Supermassive Games, best known for titles such as Until Dawn and the upcoming Little Nightmares 3, is now facing layoffs with approximately one-third of its workforce being affected. But what does that mean for its upcoming games?
When Until Dawn released in 2015 it received widespread acclaim for its innovative narrative-driven gameplay and established Supermassive Games as a prominent player in the interactive storytelling genre. The studio’s subsequent projects, including The Dark Pictures Anthology series, The Quarry, and the Little Nightmares series, further solidified its reputation for delivering immersive and exciting gaming experiences with a horror bend.
Despite these achievements, the studio is now navigating turbulent waters as it faces the harsh realities of the industry, and has made the hard decision to downsize its work force considerably. Now fans and industry observers alike are left wondering how these developments will impact the quality of the studio’s forthcoming titles, especially Little Nightmares 3.
Supermassive Games to lay off around 90 workers
Supermassive Games, a studio with more than 300 employees, will lay off 90 employees after informing 150 staff members they are at risk of redundancy, according to Bloomberg.
In a recent statement, the studio said “it isn’t immune” to the significant challenges facing the industry, and that it will have to “reorganize the company”. This development undoubtedly represents a period of uncertainty and transition for many of the affected employees, but the studio said that this was not a decision made lightly and that it will work closely with all involved to ensure that the transition is as “respectful and compassionate” as possible.
Supermassive Games has also mentioned that it’s committed to focus its core strengths on its upcoming titles to ensure the continued sustainability of the company. With a significant portion of its workforce being let go, it’s unclear if the studio will be able to deliver on its upcoming commitments such as the Dead by Daylight single-player experience The Casting of Frank Stone, space horror adventure The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020, the Until Dawn remaster, and Little Nightmares 3 could all be affected
Little Nightmares 3 release date and platforms
Little Nightmares 3 is set to release in 2024 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Little Nightmares 3 was first revealed during last year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live. Players will play as two new characters, Low and Alone. They are two lost children searching for a way out of a gloomy world and trying to escape a greater threat lurking in the shadows. The developers revealed that this title will introduce co-op to the franchise and players will be able to travel solo with an AI companion or with a friend using online co-op.
The game will preserve the series’ 2.5D presentation, but the two main characters have different gameplay mechanics, with Low wielding his bow and arrow, and Alone using her wrench. This is Supermassive Games’ second attempt at working with the IP after developing the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S enhanced ports of the previous game.
It seems that despite the issues facing SuperMassive, Little Nightmares 3 will still go ahead with its expected release date. It’s more difficult to say what this latest news might mean for the development studio’s other games.