Supermassive Games Cuts Staff as UK Horror Studio Joins 2025 Layoff Wave

UK narrative-horror studio Supermassive Games has begun a round of layoffs, according to a report carried by ixbt.games. The Guildford-based developer, best known for Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, is the latest UK studio to reduce headcount in 2025.

The initial report, published on 11 November 2025, carries the headline "Supermassive Games Hit by Wave of Layoffs" but does not include specific figures for affected roles, departments, or a formal statement from the company. The full extent of the cuts is therefore unconfirmed at the time of writing.

Where does this sit in the current gaming labor market?

The announcement extends a contraction that has touched nearly every tier of the games industry since early 2024. Microsoft reduced headcount across Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax, while Sony closed Firewalk Studios after the commercial failure of Concord. Take-Two, EA, and Ubisoft each announced multi-hundred-person reductions within the past 18 months, and Unity restructured twice in a single calendar year.

For UK-based developers, the impact compounds. Supermassive sits in the South East cluster that includes Media Molecule, Splash Damage, and Rare — the densest concentration of AAA talent in the country. UK games trade body TIGA has repeatedly flagged shrinking studio headcount as its members' top concern heading into 2026.

What does the change mean for an affected worker's market position?

Workers in narrative design, cinematic animation, and performance capture — Supermassive's core competencies — face a narrower direct-hire market than gameplay engineers. The most transferable live roles in the current cycle sit at studios shipping ongoing content: Bungie, Jagex, and Rebellion have all posted UK narrative-designer openings in recent months, according to public job-board listings.

Severance terms for UK redundancies follow statutory minimums tied to length of service, with a weekly-pay cap that the government updates each April. Supermassive's ownership matters here: Danish holding company Nordisk Games completed its majority acquisition of the studio in 2022, and any enhanced package for the current round has not been disclosed.

For candidates weighing counter-offers or relocation, the practical question is whether the next role pays a comparable base. Senior narrative designers at UK AAA studios typically command £55,000–£85,000, with performance-capture leads at the upper end of that range, per recent listings on LinkedIn and GamesIndustry.biz.

What signals will clarify the scope?

Three developments will convert the headline into actionable detail for job seekers and contractors:

• A formal statement from Supermassive or Nordisk Games confirming numbers, dates, and affected sites
• Movement on the studio's LinkedIn headcount, which historically tracks active employment within a narrow margin
• Any filings with Companies House that show changes in employee-benefit obligations

Until those land, candidates currently at the studio should treat the report as credible but unquantified, and begin mapping comparable roles at rival narrative studios before any consultation window closes. The wider read is straightforward: the 2024–2025 contraction in games is no longer confined to the largest publishers, and mid-sized UK studios are now firmly inside it.