Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures developer Supermassive Games recently issued a statement that it is laying off some employees. This announcement comes shortly after news leaked that the UK-based company intends to terminate roughly 90 workers.
150 Supermassive Games employees are at risk for layoffs
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported Monday morning that the studio informed 150 employees that their jobs were at risk and was looking to terminate about 90 of them. Minutes after Schreier’s article went up, Supermassive Games confirmed the news in a statement on Twitter.
“It is no secret that the game industry is currently facing significant challenges,” the statement begins, “and unfortunately we aren’t immune to this.” It goes on to say, “After much deliberation and with deep regret,” the company is “entering a period of consultation.” Said consultation will likely “result in the loss of some of our colleagues.”
The statement stresses how Supermassive Games doesn’t take the issue lightly. It also promises to “ensure the process is conducted as respectfully and compassionately as possible.” However, that’s probably little comfort for the employees facing potential termination.
Many gaming companies saw soaring profits during COVID-19, leading to a flurry of expansions and acquisitions. However, that bubble has since burst, and layoffs have swept the industry for the last several months. Supermassive Games is the latest in a long line of companies to terminate its employees, though it isn’t without its own issues. While Supermassive’s horror game Until Dawn was a significant hit, The Dark Pictures series hasn’t seen the same success. Meanwhile, studio co-founders Pete and Joe Samuels left the company earlier this month.
