All articles tagged with #directive 8020
Supermassive Games has finalized a redundancy process resulting in the departure of more than 70 employees, including senior leadership and developers. The cuts, which began with a consultation in August, reduce the studio's workforce from over 400 to a significantly smaller number, marking a major contraction for the developer of 'Back 4 Blood' and 'State of Decay'.
Supermassive Games has laid off over 70 employees, a move announced less than six months after the release of its sci-fi horror title Directive 8020. The cuts, which include senior leadership and developers, follow a consultation process that began in August. The studio, known for interactive horror games like Until Dawn, is downsizing from a workforce of over 400 to ensure financial sustainability, despite recent efforts to patch in online multiplayer for its latest release.
Supermassive Games has announced a third wave of layoffs affecting up to 75 positions at its Guildford studio, saying the cuts are a necessary step to sustain the company. This follows July’s 36-role reduction tied to delaying Directive 8020, and the firm had previously affected around 90 staff in February 2024, with management pledging support for those impacted and a renewed focus on core strengths and upcoming titles.
Supermassive Games’ sci-fi horror adventure Directive 8020 is available on PS5 via the PlayStation Store. Players control the Cassiopeia crew as they confront an alien that can mimic crew members, forcing players to discern who’s human. The Standard Edition costs $49.99, and the game has drawn solid early notices, with a Metacritic around 72 and an 8/10 score from PlayStation Lifestyle in their review.
Early reviews for Directive 8020 on Xbox praise its space setting, improved visuals, stealth elements, and stronger storytelling, while critics note pacing and some missed opportunities. With a Metacritic of 72 and OpenCritic 76 at the time of writing, the game launches for Xbox Series X|S on May 12 and is widely viewed as the best entry yet in The Dark Pictures, though still polarizing among fans.
Directive 8020 on PS5 aims to blend Alien-like suspense with The Thing–style mistrust and a rewindable, branching narrative, but despite a handful of tense moments and late-game twists, the dull ship setting, bland characters, and overly simple stealth reduce the experience to a disappointing 5/10 with replayability that doesn’t quite justify the effort.
Xbox’s May 11–15 roundup lists over 30 new releases and Game Pass additions, led by the early-access Premium Edition of Forza Horizon 6 and Directive 8020, with Call of the Elder Gods, Subnautica 2, and a wide slate of titles releasing May 11–15, each with brief summaries and release dates.
Supermassive Games' standalone PS5 horror-adventure Directive 8020 arrives May 12, 2026 on the PS Store for $49.99, with a Digital Deluxe preorder upgrade that adds The Dark Pictures outfits, collectibles, a Cinematic Filter Pack, digital artbook, and an exclusive soundtrack; the title was announced in 2022 as part of The Dark Pictures' second season but is now a stand-alone entry.
A hands-on preview of Directive 8020, Supermassive Games’ space-horror that leans into interactive-movie storytelling. In a crisis aboard the Cassiopeia, Brianna faces claustrophobic tunnels and a brutal eye-sequence; you can rewind and replay choices, testing different outcomes while the core moments stay true. The demo showcases polished Unreal Engine 5 visuals and strong performances, positioning Directive 8020 as a return to the tense, consequence-driven horror of Until Dawn and The Quarry. It releases May 12 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Supermassive has announced layoffs affecting 36 employees and delayed the sci-fi horror game Directive 8020 to 2026 to ensure quality, with no impact on Little Nightmares III development.
The upcoming Dark Pictures game, Directive 8020, set on a spaceship, introduces a new multiplayer trust system where players must discern who is an alien, adding a fresh twist to the series' horror gameplay and emphasizing social deception, making it a highly anticipated installment for horror fans.