Just when you'd think the critical and commercial success of Ghost of Yotei would have left Sucker Punch free to face the future with a clear head, Aftermath reveals that the studio has recently had to lay off no fewer than 26 members of staff. Employees learned that jobs were at risk via an internal email that our colleagues have been able to read.
“After carefully considering the challenges of the market and assessing the team's needs for our next project, we have decided to reduce our headcount, management explains. As a result, a number of roles at Sucker Punch will be cut. We know this decision is a difficult one to take in, and rest assured it was not made lightly. We thought about it long and hard, and we will do everything we can to support the colleagues affected through this transition.”
Before signing off: “There's no denying this is a pretty rough day. We'll share more details about what comes next next week.”
And yet Ghost of Yotei sold extremely well
As a reminder, a month after release, Ghost of Yotei had already shifted more than 3.3 million copies on PS5. By way of comparison, its predecessor Ghost of Tsushima had sold some 2.4 million copies three days after launch, and more than 5 million copies in four months. According to the latest figures from Alinea Analytics, more than a year on from release, Ghost of Yotei is said to be at 5.4 million copies sold.
Over at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sucker Punch isn't the first studio to face layoffs in 2026. Back in June, we learned that Bungie (already hit by a round of job cuts in 2024) was to part ways with just under 300 developers, the bulk of them working on Destiny. Bluepoint Games, meanwhile, the team behind the gorgeous Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes and home to 70 developers, closed its doors this March.
Sucker Punch's situation also echoes what the Xbox studios are going through right now. Of the 4,800 layoffs Microsoft has lined up between now and mid-2027, 3,200 of them hit the video game side of the business. Last month, boss Satya Nadella seemed thoroughly unmoved by this bleak period for the company's developers.
“When I look at our studios, our portfolio of franchises and our ability to build on that to make great games in the future, I'm thrilled. Asha and the teams are going through a rationalisation process, which is great to see,” he said. A cynicism that rather takes the breath away.
