Layoff Watch: Supermassive, Ninja Theory, The Coalition Hit

Four game-development studios — Supermassive Games, Ninja Theory, The Coalition and Warhorse Studios — appear on the industry's layoff watch, according to a roundup compiled by PC Gamer, signaling that job cuts in game development have not slowed.

The report names Supermassive Games, Ninja Theory and The Coalition as the latest Microsoft-adjacent and independent studios to shed staff, while Warhorse Studios contributes a warning about conditions facing developers across the sector.

Which studios are cutting?

The PC Gamer roundup places three studios on the layoff watch:

• Supermassive Games — the developer behind the Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures franchises;
• Ninja Theory — the UK studio known for Hellblade;
• The Coalition — the Vancouver-based team behind Gears of War.

Each name adds to a lengthening roster of studios that have cut headcount in the current contraction.

What is Warhorse warning about?

Warhorse Studios, the Czech developer behind the Kingdom Come series, adds a cautionary note to the roundup rather than a layoff announcement of its own. The studio's warning speaks to broader pressures that continue to shape hiring and retention decisions across game development.

What does this mean for game-industry workers?

For individual developers, the pattern matters in concrete ways. Studios of vastly different sizes and ownership structures — from first-party Microsoft teams to independent and mid-sized European developers — are reducing headcount or flagging strain. That breadth suggests the risk of displacement is not confined to one business model or geography within the industry.

For job seekers, the implication is practical: competition for remaining openings intensifies as experienced staff from named studios re-enter the market, and roles at studios that are actively hiring carry more negotiation risk if their parent companies are still consolidating.

PC Gamer's layoff-watch format tracks these cuts on a running basis, making it a useful benchmark for anyone monitoring which studios and publishers are contracting and which remain stable.

The takeaway for anyone working in or entering game development: verify a studio's current staffing trajectory before committing, and expect the sector's employment picture to remain under pressure as further announcements accumulate.