Supermassive Games, the studio best known for its horror-based narrative games like 2015’s Until Dawn and 2022’s The Quarry, has announced a new release date of 12 May 2026 for their next title, Directive 8020.
Following a delay last July, Directive 8020 has marked its update release date with the launch of a new trailer titled “Comply”, which offers a better look at its choice-based narrative. The game follows the crew of the Cassiopeia, a colony ship that crash-lands on a distant planet, only to be met with an unknown threat from extraterrestrials that can take any form, meaning players will need to be careful who they trust throughout the game, leading to the studio’s signature branching narrative format.
In addition, the trailer also teases more of Directive 8020’s actual gameplay sequences, consisting of a stealth segment, while hinting that combat would also be an option, as it states that players will be able to choose whether to “fight or hide”.
While these might already be the standard affair for Supermassive titles, the studio is also adding a game-changing new feature to Directive 8020, Turning Points, which essentially allows players to completely rewind their decisions and revisit key moments in the story to see how each choice plays out, which is a huge win for those who want to see everything the game has to offer without replaying the title multiple times. Of course, the game will still feature a traditional “Survivor Mode”, which removes these “safety nets” entirely.
Directive 8020 marks the next game in the studio’s Dark Pictures franchise, following 2018’s Man of Medan, 2020’s Little Hope, 2021’s House of Ashes, and 2022’s The Devil in Me. The game will also continue the trend of casting recognisable faces as its lead characters, such as Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die) as Cassiopeia co-pilot Brianna Young.
Directive 8020 is due out on 12 May 2026 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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