Supermassive Games CEO Is Stepping Down After Layoffs And Directive 8020

Supermassive Games is changing leadership again after a tough period. Robert Henrysson is stepping down as CEO after guiding the Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures studio through layoffs, a delayed project, and the release of Directive 8020. Graeme Law will now take over as interim CEO while the company decides what comes next.

The move does not point to a studio shutdown, but it does come after two tough years. Supermassive has dealt with job cuts, founder departures, and pressure to prove that its choice-driven horror formula still has a strong future.

Henrysson took over in 2024 after Supermassive co-founders Pete and Joe Samuels left the studio. He arrived at a time when many game studios were cutting jobs and slowing projects, and Supermassive was not spared from that wider pressure.

The studio went through layoffs in 2024, then began another redundancy process in 2025 that was expected to affect up to 36 roles. That second round also came as Directive 8020 moved out of 2025 and into 2026.

Those details are important because this was not a normal leadership handoff after a quiet year. Henrysson led the studio through a period where people lost jobs and one of its biggest projects needed more time.

Directive 8020 became the key game of Henrysson’s time as CEO. The sci-fi horror title pushed The Dark Pictures Anthology into space and gave Supermassive a chance to move beyond haunted houses, slashers, and grounded supernatural stories.

Nordisk Games has described the game as a success for the studio, while player reaction has been more mixed. Either way, Directive 8020 did get finished and released after delays and internal changes.

That helps explain the timing of Henrysson’s exit. His job was to help steady Supermassive and get the project out the door. With that work done, the studio is moving into another leadership phase.

Graeme Law will lead Supermassive as interim CEO. He will work with the studio’s management team, with support from Nordisk Film CFO Morgan Habedank and Avalanche Studios Group CEO Stefanía Halldórsdóttir.

For players, the big question is not only who has the CEO title. It is whether Supermassive can settle down after years of change.

Its games are built around horror, branching choices, performance capture, and characters who can live or die based on player decisions. That kind of production needs time, focus, and a team that is not constantly dealing with uncertainty.

Supermassive has clear direction, it still has a name players recognize, and its best work has shown how strong interactive horror can be when the writing, pacing, and choices line up.

The problem is that the last few years have been difficult. Founder exits, layoffs, a delayed release, and now another leadership change have all arrived close together.

Supermassive does not need to reinvent itself overnight. It needs room to support its developers, choose its next project carefully, and remind players why its horror games became popular in the first place.