After Little Nightmares III, Directive 8020 also failed to stand out, and someone had to take responsibility: the studio’s CEO.
Supermassive Games is the studio behind titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, The Dark Pictures Anthology, and the most recent Little Nightmares III and Directive 8020. The team is now officially entering a transitional period.
Robert Henrysson, the studio’s CEO and a partner at parent company Nordisk Games, is stepping down, Nordisk Games has announced. Graeme Law will take over on an interim basis while Supermassive searches for a successor.
Nordisk shared the news on LinkedIn, where Henrysson also responded with a statement of his own. Henrysson previously served as president and CEO of Avalanche Studios, joined Nordisk Games as a partner in 2022, and took over as Supermassive CEO in 2024.
“During his time there, he rebuilt the studio’s leadership team, sharpened its strategy, and oversaw the completion and launch of Directive 8020, the latest installment in the Dark Pictures series. The game received the strongest critical reception in the series to date. This milestone reflects the hard work and commitment of the entire Supermassive Games team, supported by Robert’s leadership throughout this important period.” Nordisk wrote in its statement.
Directive 8020 currently has a 72 average score on Metacritic. Henrysson remained with Supermassive throughout its most recent round of layoffs, which delayed the release of Directive 8020 from 2025 to 2026. The game was eventually released in May this year.
“Today marks the end of a very rewarding chapter of my professional life as I prepare to leave Nordisk Games and my position as CEO of Supermassive Games. Leading a studio is never a one-person job; it takes the entire team. Our commitment to continuous improvement has always been central, and remains central, to everything we do. To everyone at Supermassive Games, I am deeply grateful for everything I have learned and experienced with you. You are the greatest storytelling game studio on Earth: you rock!” Henrysson wrote on his own LinkedIn account.
Little Nightmares III has a similar 71 average rating on Metacritic. The Until Dawn series, arguably Supermassive’s best-known franchise alongside The Dark Pictures Anthology, is being continued by Firesprite Games, the studio behind Horizon: Call of the Mountain, which is leading development on the recently announced Until Dawn 2.
Source: WCCFTech, LinkedIn, LinkedIn
