Company:Supermassive Games

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Short description: British video game developer
Supermassive Games Ltd
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2008; 16 years ago (2008)
FounderPete Samuels, Joe Samuels
HeadquartersGuildford, Surrey, England
Products
Number of employees
350[1]
ParentNordisk Film (2022–present)
WebsiteSupermassive Games

Supermassive Games Ltd is a British video game developer based in Guildford, Surrey. The studio is best known for developing horror games such as Until Dawn for the PlayStation 4, The Dark Pictures Anthology for Bandai Namco Entertainment and The Quarry for 2K Games.

History

Supermassive Games was founded by Pete Samuels in 2008, who had previously worked at Psygnosis and Electronic Arts. The company signed a contract to serve as Sony's second-party developer. The studio first worked on downloadable content for Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet, and games utilizing the PlayStation Move motion controller including Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves and Start the Party!.[2] The strategy was a success initially, as the studio posted full-year sales of £5.7 million in 2011.[3] In 2012, the studio partnered with BBC and released Doctor Who. It was intended to be the first game of a trilogy, but the game was poorly received. BBC then announced the decision to cancel all other games in the trilogy in the following year. Another partnership game with BBC, Wonderbook: Walking with Dinosaurs, was released in 2013.[4]

The studio's breakout title, Until Dawn, was also initially envisioned as a PlayStation Move title, though all motion controls were dropped when it was retooled into a PlayStation 4 game.[5] Until Dawn was a survival horror interactive movie inspired by slasher films, and it became an unexpected success for Sony when it was released in 2015.[6] With the success of Until Dawn, the studio continued to expand the Until Dawn universe, releasing spin-off titles including Until Dawn and The Inpatient for PlayStation VR, Sony's virtual reality headset.[7] The studio also released the critically panned Bravo Team for PSVR. Supermassive initially wanted it to be "the game which defines shooters on VR", but it faced various development challenges throughout its development cycle.[8]

Supermassive then returned to the horror genre when it partnered with publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment to create an anthology series called The Dark Pictures Anthology; the first game in the series is called The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, which was released in August 2019. Unlike Supermassive's previous titles, which all but two were available exclusively on Sony platforms, all games in the Dark Pictures series will also be available on Microsoft platforms including Windows and Xbox One.[9] Supermassive plans on releasing a new entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology every 6 months, with a total of 8 games in the series, though more could be added if the series succeeds in sales.[10] Man of Medan was followed by Little Hope (2020), House of Ashes (2021) and The Devil in Me (2022) which concluded the first season.[11] Supermassive also released The Quarry in 2022, a standalone game envisioned as a spiritual successor to Until Dawn inspired by teen slasher and monster films.[12]

In March 2021, Nordisk Film, under their Nordisk Games division, purchased a 30.7% stake in the studio.[13] In July 2022, Nordisk Games fully acquired Supermassive Games, making Supermassive a subsidiary of the Denmark-based company.[14] The company co-founders have left the company in January 2024.[15]

Games developed

Year(s) Game Platform(s) Publisher
2009–2010 LittleBigPlanet (DLC)[16] PlayStation 3 Sony Computer Entertainment
2010 Tumble[17]
Start the Party!
Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves[16]
2011 Start the Party! Save the World
2011–2012 LittleBigPlanet 2 (DLC)[16]
2012 Doctor Who PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Windows BBC Worldwide
Killzone HD PlayStation 3 Sony Computer Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
2013 LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (DLC) PlayStation Vita
Walking with Dinosaurs PlayStation 3
2015 Until Dawn[18] PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows
2016 Until Dawn[19][20] PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR) Sony Interactive Entertainment
Tumble VR[21]
2017 Hidden Agenda PlayStation 4
2018 The Inpatient PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
Bravo Team
Shattered State[22] Google Daydream Google
2019 The Dark Pictures Anthology PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Bandai Namco Entertainment
2020 The Dark Pictures Anthology PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2021 Little Nightmares II: Enhanced Edition PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
The Dark Pictures Anthology[23] PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2022 The Quarry[24] 2K Games
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Bandai Namco Entertainment
2023 The Dark Pictures[25] PlayStation 5 (PlayStation VR2) Supermassive Games
2024 Little Nightmares III Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Bandai Namco Entertainment
The Casting of Frank Stone PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S Behaviour Interactive
Template:TableTBA The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 Template:TableTBA Bandai Namco Entertainment

References

  1. ↑ "Supermassive Games - About". https://www.supermassivegames.com/about. 
  2. ↑ Treese, Tyler (August 11, 2015). "Until Dawn Developer and Their Supermassive History With Sony". PlayStation LifeStyle. https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/08/11/look-dawn-developer-supermassive-games/#/slide/1. Retrieved September 8, 2021. 
  3. ↑ Loizou, Kiki (December 9, 2012). "How I Made It: Pete Samuels, founder of Supermassive Games". The Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-i-made-it-pete-samuels-founder-of-supermassive-games-vf305nfpzcn. Retrieved September 8, 2021. 
  4. ↑ Ray Corriea, Alexa (July 11, 2013). "Supermassive Games still working on Until Dawn, no more Doctor Who games". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/7/5069552/supermassive-games-still-sitting-on-until-dawn-no-more-doctor-who. Retrieved September 8, 2021. 
  5. ↑ McCaffery, Ryan (13 August 2014). "Until Dawn Rebooted For PS4, and It's Terrifying". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/13/until-dawn-rebooted-for-ps4-and-its-terrifying. 
  6. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (30 September 2015). "Sony was surprised by the "positive reaction" to sleeper hit Until Dawn". VG 247. https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/30/until-dawn-ps4-sony-happy/. 
  7. ↑ "Doctor Who, Until Dawn, virtual reality: the transformation of Supermassive Games". MCVUK. June 10, 2016. https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/doctor-who-until-dawn-virtual-reality-the-transformation-of-supermassive-games/. Retrieved September 8, 2021. 
  8. ↑ Phillips, Tom (March 27, 2018). "What went wrong with PSVR exclusive Bravo Team, the "Halo of VR shooters"". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-03-27-what-went-wrong-with-bravo-team. Retrieved September 8, 2021. 
  9. ↑ O'Brien, Lucy (21 August 2018). "Supermassive Games Announces Horror Series The Dark Pictures Anthology - Gamescom 2018". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/21/supermassive-games-announces-horror-series-the-dark-pictures-anthology-gamescom-2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018. 
  10. ↑ Hargreaves, Jim (22 August 2019). "Expect two games from The Dark Pictures Anthology per year". The Sixth Axis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2019/08/22/man-of-medan-sequel-dark-pictures-anthology-ps4-xbox/. Retrieved 29 August 2019. 
  11. ↑ "The Next Dark Pictures Anthology Game Has Been Revealed". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-next-dark-pictures-anthology-game-has-been-revealed/1100-6497283/. 
  12. ↑ "Supermassive Games' the Quarry has its full, horrifying reveal ahead of June release". Eurogamer.net. 17 March 2022. https://www.eurogamer.net/supermassive-games-the-quarry-has-its-full-horrifying-reveal-ahead-of-june-release. 
  13. ↑ "Nordisk Games acquires 30% stake in Supermassive" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-26-nordisk-games-acquires-30-percent-stake-in-supermassive. 
  14. ↑ "Nordisk Games acquires Supermassive Games" (in en-US). 2022-07-12. https://www.gematsu.com/2022/07/nordisk-games-acquires-supermassive-games. 
  15. ↑ Scullion, Chris (February 1, 2024). "Supermassive Games co-founders have left the company". Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240201152327/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/supermassive-games-co-founders-have-left-the-company/. Retrieved February 1, 2024. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "LittleBigPlanet 2 - Level Kits". Supermassive Games. http://www.supermassivegames.com/games/littlebigplanet2-level-kits. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  17. ↑ "Supermassive Games To Utilize Gamebryo Engine". IGN. 30 March 2011. http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/03/30/supermassive-games-to-utilize-gamebryo-engine. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  18. ↑ Phillips, Tom (26 May 2015). "PS4 exclusive Until Dawn finally has a release date". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-26-ps4-exclusive-until-dawn-finally-has-a-release-date. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  19. ↑ Martin, Matt (27 October 2015). "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a "fast-paced arcade shooter" for PlayStation VR". VG247. http://www.vg247.com/2015/10/27/until-dawn-rush-of-blood-is-a-fast-paced-arcade-shooter-for-playstation-vr/. Retrieved 28 October 2015. 
  20. ↑ Robinson, Dave (28 June 2016). "PlayStation VR, Day One Guide – Crash Landed". Crash Landed. http://crashlanded.co.uk/playstation-vr-day-one-guide.php. Retrieved 29 June 2016. 
  21. ↑ Harris, Simon (15 March 2016). "Tumble VR Revealed for PlayStation VR". http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/03/15/tumble-vr-revealed-for-playstation-vr/. Retrieved 16 March 2016. 
  22. ↑ "Supermassive Games - Shattered State - Supermassive Games". Supermassive Games. https://www.supermassivegames.com/games/shattered-state. Retrieved 5 February 2021. 
  23. ↑ LeBlanc, Wesley (9 November 2020). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Is a Horror Game Set in the Iraq War" (in en-US). https://www.ign.com/articles/the-dark-pictures-anthology-house-of-ashes-is-a-horror-game-set-in-the-iraq-war. 
  24. ↑ Marshall, Cas (March 17, 2022). "The Quarry is Supermassive's next swing at Until Dawn-style horror". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/22981663/the-quarry-supermassive-2k-games-cast-until-dawn. Retrieved March 18, 2022. 
  25. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (November 2, 2022). "Sony Announces 11 New PlayStation VR2 Games, Including The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR". https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-announces-11-new-playstation-vr2-games-including-the-dark-pictures-switchback-vr. 
  1. ↑ PlayStation 5 and Windows versions of Until Dawn released under the publisher's new name Sony Interactive Entertainment.

External links



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