Supermassive Games to Lay off 30% of its Staff

Supermassive Games has announced that it will lay off 90 employees, representing approximately 30% of its current workforce. The studio, which has been at the forefront of the gaming industry for many years, has produced some of the most well-known titles in the industry, such as Until Dawn and The Quarry. It has also been involved in the development of the upcoming Anthology of Dark Pictures titles. In this article let’s take a look at some of the reasons for the following.

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Supermassive is Now the Latest Gaming Company to Layoff Employees in 2024

Supermassive Games and Behaviour Interactive are currently working together on a new Dead by Daylight-inspired game called The Casting of Frank Stone According to a new Bloomberg report, the studio behind The Quarry, Until Dawn, and other games informed 150 employees, or about 50% of its workforce, that they are “in danger of termination.” The announcement came Monday morning as employees began their work week.

In a statement on their X account, Supermassive Games stated the following in a post:

"It's no secret that the games industry is currently facing significant challenges, and unfortunately we aren't immune to this.

After much deliberation and with deep regret, we are therefore undertaking a reorganization of Supermassive Games. As a result, we are entering into a period of consultation, which we anticipate will result in the loss of some of our colleagues."

The statement also read the following:

“This is not a decision that's been taken lightly, with many efforts made to avoid this outcome.
We are all too aware of how unsettling and difficult this process is going to be for all our employees and will be working closely with all those involved to ensure the process is conducted as respectfully and compassionately as possible.
We're committed to focusing our efforts on our core strengths and upcoming titles to ensure the continued sustainability of the company.”

The tech industry and the gaming industry have both seen significant layoffs in both years. 2023 saw a record-breaking 260,000 tech company job losses, including giants such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft. The trend continued into 2024, with more than 30,000 laid off across various companies, including Microsoft’s acquisition of the gaming giant, Activision Blizzard.

The gaming industry has also seen significant layoffs, with more than 10,000 in 2023, and more than 5,600 in 2024, including companies like Twitch. While the future is still uncertain, both industries are currently facing a difficult economic environment, resulting in a worrying number of layoffs.