After a delay, a round of layoffs, and a game that couldn’t clear the bar on Steam, the team behind Until Dawn is back on the offensive, this time with a release date for Directive 8020. Supermassive Games didn’t exactly stack up wins in 2025, but it’s aiming to get back on track on May 12 with its new science-fiction game.
Supermassive Games looks ready to send a chill through thousands of players. Directive 8020, its new science-fiction horror survival title, is the studio’s big 2026 swing, and trailers packed with hard choices and cinematic moments have already been pushing expectations upward. Following a delay, the release window was set for some point in the first half of the year. Now there’s a firm date players can circle: May 12.
The developer, which built its reputation with games like Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, confirmed Directive 8020’s date with a trailer that puts the core loop front and center: making decisions, turning on allies to keep certain protagonists alive, and enduring grotesque, lethal environments. This time around, the studio also teamed up with actress Lashana Lynch (Bob Marley: One Love, The Queen) to portray one of the main characters.
On the story side, Directive 8020 asks players to stay alive inside a nerve-racking science-fiction scenario. “Earth is dying and humanity is running out of time. Twelve light-years from home, Tau Ceti offers a glimmer of hope. When the colony ship Cassiopeia crashes on the planet, they will realize they are not alone,” reads the game’s description.
Little Nightmares 3 Didn’t Win The Fans Over
Supermassive Games is likely to feel real pressure with Directive 8020. In mid-2025, the studio announced the delay mentioned above alongside layoffs that impacted 36 employees. At the time, the company also said the cuts wouldn’t touch the teams working on Little Nightmares 3, since it was a key project meant to continue what had already become a major horror franchise.
However, Little Nightmares 3 was anything but a hit. Players criticized, among other things, the narrative, the lack of a genuinely unsettling atmosphere created by its locations, and the behavior of the AI companion that follows you throughout the adventure. The game ended up sitting at just 46% positive reviews on Steam, nowhere near the 94% of the first Little Nightmares and the 92% of Little Nightmares 2, both made by Tarsier Studios. For that reason, Directive 8020 needs to be Supermassive Games’ big 2026 breakthrough.
Source: 3djuegos
