“Let’s amp up everything” — Directive 8020 is Alien meets The Thing, and it’s introducing these huge changes for Supermassive’s cinematic horror games

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I’m really into horror video games with a cinematic feel, a niche that’s predominantly dominated by Supermassive Games from the UK. They’ve made popular games such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures Anthology.

During my visit to Summer Game Fest 2025 in Los Angeles, I took the opportunity to explore Supermassive’s upcoming title, Directive 8020, and even had a chat with the game’s director, Will Doyle.

This sci-fi title is the fifth installment from the studio’s Dark Pictures Anthology and marks their first foray into self-publishing. It stands out as the most daring project the team has undertaken so far, incorporating several significant new elements that promise to revolutionize the way players interact with the overall gameplay experience.

Directive 8020 is located significantly ahead in time, past the ongoing events depicted in Supermassive’s previous games. As Earth is nearing its demise, a team of astronauts embarks on a mission to discover a distant planet suitable for colonization.

In their emergency landing on Tau Ceti f, the astronauts find themselves not solitary explorers; instead, they’re pursued by a chilling alien entity that adapts to its surroundings and even imitates members of their team. This shape-shifting predator can transform into an immense beast or mimic one of the astronauts, adding a terrifying layer to their already perilous journey.

According to Doyle, they find themselves in a predicament where technology initially assists them. However, as the tale unfolds, they gradually lose their reliance on technology, resorting to more primitive survival methods by the story’s conclusion. This is reminiscent of many classic science fiction horror narratives.

He mentions that “Aliens” might be his top pick among movies, and certainly, he has a soft spot for “The Thing.” He explains that the concept of both films is brazenly combined in this one, while highlighting that “The Thing,” specifically, has been long anticipated by fans of Supermassive Games.

Indeed, our team draws a lot of inspiration from the visual style, aesthetics, and color grading seen in Ridley Scott’s movies like Alien, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant. We aim to emulate their distinctive looks as our guide.

In the iconic film Event Horizon, another font was discovered, which Doyle highlighted as a key aspect of how the visuals grew increasingly unsettling and chaotic as the movie reached its climax.

In the relatively short demonstration I witnessed (approximately 8 minutes long), Supermassive promptly unveiled several significant new elements.

In these games, the visuals are often cinematic, and the characters mainly spend their time wandering and solving simple puzzles. However, Directive 8020 breaks away from this pattern by eliminating it altogether.

In a nerve-wracking stealth mission, I led an astronaut to safety while being chased by a massive extraterrestrial beast. There were moments when I thought it would end in discovery, but somehow, I navigated past the danger successfully.

When I enquired from Doyle about how the team has managed to blend these interactions with conventional aspects, he openly acknowledged that it hasn’t been an easy task.

Providing a cinematic atmosphere is our top priority, and this involves careful thought about the rhythm,” he explains. “Making it seem authentic to a cinematic storyline can be challenging.

He explains that we need to choose our moments wisely so as not to overwhelm you with them. Furthermore, he notes that the danger increases and the type of threats you encounter vary during the game, there are multiple manifestations of it.

After that point, I found myself needing to decide if someone was truly human or not. The story doesn’t reveal the answer, but it’s evident that a significant portion of the tension in Directive 8020 arises from the question of whether there is anyone masquerading as something they aren’t.

This also leads Doyle to discuss the second big new feature in this game, the Turning Point system.

Rather than forcing players to adhere to their choices throughout the game, we are now charting each choice you make within the game using a branching diagram. This allows players to jump back to specific points on this diagram at any time, enabling them to alter their decisions and replay from that point onward.

In a conversation with his closest companion, Doyle found that part of the concept’s inception stemmed from the fact that his friend ceased playing the third installment of the Dark Pictures series, House of Ashes, upon losing their preferred character.

Doyle points out that while some fans enjoy completing games from start to finish, they’ve incorporated a “Survival” mode which prevents players from rewinding. Furthermore, Directive 8020 plans to bring additional unexpected changes to the gameplay dynamics.

In Supermassive’s horror games, it’s a fundamental principle that the fate of characters hinges on the player’s choices – they can either live or die. Normally, there are certain characters who cannot be killed until the climax. However, in these games, this isn’t always the rule.

According to Doyle, this game includes an element that’s a bit secretive but we refer to as ‘The Death Spiral.’ This means that at the very beginning, all players could potentially lose. However, as the game progresses and you get closer to the end, it’s possible to have any mix of characters still alive or already defeated.

According to Doyle, the scale of Directive 8020 is similar to that of The Devil in Me released in 2022. This game has been split into eight distinct episodes, with each episode lasting approximately 40 minutes to an hour, depending on individual playing habits.

In various locales, such as snow-capped mountains, mineshafts, haunted vessels, and ancient burial sites, Supermassive has ventured before. However, the drastic change in timelines sets this game apart more than any other title they’ve created thus far.

This time around, we had to create everything anew, instead of relying on pre-existing assets as in previous installments. Consequently, it marked the longest gap between titles, with Directive 8020 launching three years after The Devil In Me. However, this fresh approach has led to a visually stunning game, boasting significantly improved visuals across the board.

At first, our game development pace was extremely fast-paced, he explains, further mentioning that the team has a wealth of tales to share. However, the emphasis has shifted towards investing the appropriate time in constructing a promising future.

Let’s intensify all aspects, let’s acquire multiple systems as a foundation for our upcoming series of games.

As an analyst, I’m excited to share that the horror genre is experiencing a surge right now. Many of our recent game concepts are deeply rooted in timeless subgenres such as teen horror. Essentially, horror games serve as an extension or amplification of contemporary anxieties we face in everyday life.

When I inquired from Doyle about whether Supermassive Games might return to releasing a new game annually with the second season of The Dark Pictures Anthology, he expressed some uncertainty.

We’re not certain we can do it, as creating these games is becoming increasingly intricate. Our aim is to provide top-notch gaming experiences.

It’s planned that Directive 8020 will be released on October 2, 2025 for the Xbox Series X|S, Steam (on Windows PC), and PlayStation 5.

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2025-06-21 13:09