By Arriving instead in 2026
- written by Ben Kerry
Supermassive Games, the studio responsible for Bandai Namco’s Dark Pictures terror anthology, has pushed its forthcoming release Directive 8020 beyond the October window. Their upcoming feature-length fright-fest will surface “during the first half of 2026”, while the company simultaneously parts ways with 36 employees.
The sobering update arrives alongside a detailed note from the developers, in which the firm explains it is adjusting to “a difficult and continuously shifting landscape” within the current games market. We’re including the complete message underneath:
Per the statement above, Supermassive believes the setback will “allow us to hand players our very finest experience” when Directive 8020 finally emerges next year. The team additionally confirms that development of Little Nightmares III will proceed untouched by both the revised timetable and the job losses.
Speaking of the project itself— though we’re crestfallen that it will miss the customary Halloween slot— we remain eager to see the end result. Every prior release from this outfit has thrilled us, so we’re happy to hold out just a bit longer for Directive 8020 to sink its crimson hooks into us in 2026.
Any opinions on this development, fans of frights? Share your chatter with us down below.
Ben serves as a News Writer at Pure Xbox and is partial to action, racing and plain-old gunplay in whatever Xbox game he can lay hands on. When he’s not gripping an Xbox pad like the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, Ben passes his hours sampling music far too vintage for him, watching football on TV and, more than likely, chowing down somewhere.