Developer Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Supermassive Games recently issued an announcement that it is laying off some employees. This announcement comes shortly after news leaked that the UK-based company plans to lay off around 90 workers.
150 Supermassive Games employees are at risk of layoffs
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported Monday morning that the studio informed 150 employees that their jobs were at risk and was looking to lay off about 90 of them. Minutes after Schreier’s article, Supermassive Games confirmed the news with a statement on Twitter.
“It’s no secret that the games industry is currently facing significant challenges,” the statement begins, “and unfortunately we are not immune to it.” He goes on to say, “After much discussion and with deep regret,” the company is “entering a consultation period.” The consultation in question will likely “result in the loss of some of our colleagues”.
The statement highlights how Supermassive Games is not taking the matter lightly. It also promises to “ensure that the process is conducted as respectfully and compassionately as possible.” However, this is probably of little comfort to employees facing potential redundancy.
Many gaming companies have seen increased profits during COVID-19, leading to a flurry of expansions and acquisitions. However, that bubble has since burst and layoffs have swept the industry over the past several months. Supermassive Games is the latest in a long line of companies to lay off employees, though it’s not without its own problems. While Supermassive’s horror game Until Dawn enjoyed significant success, The Dark Pictures series did not. Meanwhile, studio co-founders Pete and Joe Samuels left the company earlier this month.