Sucker Punch, the Sony-owned studio behind Ghost Of Tsushima and Ghost Of Yotei, is the latest developer of critically acclaimed games to face layoffs.
According to an ex-Sucker Punch employee to whom Aftermath spoke, 26 people have been let go. In an email to staff viewed by Aftermath, studio leadership said:
“After carefully observing the challenges in the market and reviewing the team needs for our next project, we've decided to make some staffing reductions. Several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated as a result.”
”We know this is a lot to take in, and we want to assure you that we did not make this decision lightly. We have given this a lot of attention and worked to support our affected colleagues during this transition as well as we can. … There's no getting around that this is a hard day. Next week we will go into more details about the future.”
Sucker Punch is not particularly large, as far as triple-A studios go, with a total headcount of below 200. Losing 26 employees, then, is a significant blow.
Ghost Of Yotei, Sucker Punch’s latest release, was as of June reportedly the best-selling Sony game of 2026 on the PS5, lagging behind Tsushima in terms of units but beating it in raw revenue. Its new expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara, was critically acclaimed.
But once again, success has proven to be no guarantee of safety in the video game industry. Another day that ends in Y, another group of talented people who’ve suddenly lost their livelihoods.
