Sucker Punch Productions, the Sony-owned studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei, has laid off 26 people, according to a report published by Aftermath on October 26, 2026. The figure for the Sucker Punch layoffs comes from a former employee who spoke to the outlet. Aftermath also viewed an internal email in which studio leadership tied the cuts to “challenges in the market” and to the team it needs for its next project.
Neither Sony Interactive Entertainment nor Sucker Punch had commented publicly when this article was published. None of the outlets that followed Aftermath’s report, including Kotaku, VGC, Push Square and Insider Gaming, cite a statement from either company.
- Studio: Sucker Punch Productions (Bellevue, Washington), owned by Sony since 2011
- Reported job cuts: 26 people, according to one former employee (Aftermath)
- Reason given internally: “challenges in the market” and the “team needs for our next project”
- Official comment: none from Sony or Sucker Punch so far
Table of Contents
What the Sucker Punch layoffs email says
Aftermath published two passages from the email to staff. The first reads: “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.”
The second says leadership “did not make this decision lightly” and has “worked to support our affected colleagues during this transition as well as we can.” It ends: “There’s no getting around that this is a hard day. Next week we will go into more details about the future.” The email does not name the next project or say which teams were hit. It also gives no total headcount.
A duel in Ghost of Yōtei, the PS5 game Sucker Punch released on October 2, 2025. Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
How much of the studio the cuts represent depends on whose headcount you trust. Aftermath describes Sucker Punch as having “a total headcount of below 200”. Kotaku puts it at “roughly 229” people and Push Square at about 230. On those numbers, 26 people is somewhere between roughly 11% and more than 13% of the studio. Sony has not published an official headcount.
Is Ghost of Yotei a success?
By Sony’s own numbers, yes. Ghost of Yōtei launched on PS5 on October 2, 2025. Sony said it sold more than 3.3 million units by November 2, its first 32 days, as VGC reported from Sony’s earnings that month. Sony has not given a newer unit total. Higher figures, such as the 5.4 million copies Alinea Analytics estimated this month, are analyst estimates. We covered them in our breakdown of Ghost of Yotei sales estimates against Tsushima. Aftermath adds that, as of June, the game was reportedly Sony’s best-selling title of 2026 on PS5.
The studio is still shipping, too. Ghost of Yōtei: Complete Edition, which adds the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion, came out earlier this month, so the cuts follow soon after that release.
Sony said Ghost of Yōtei sold more than 3.3 million units in its first 32 days; it has not shared a newer total. Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony’s other studio cuts in 2026
This is not Sony’s first studio cut this year. In February, Sony said it would close Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes, with about 70 jobs lost. Bloomberg broke that story and confirmed it with a Sony spokesperson, who cited “a recent business review”. Elsewhere in the industry, publishers have cut deep this month: EA is closing BioWare, and Microsoft is still looking for a buyer for Arkane Lyon.
What it means for players
Nothing in the report suggests that Ghost of Yōtei’s support or the Complete Edition is affected. The email frames the cuts as reshaping the team for whatever Sucker Punch makes next. The open question is what leadership says “next week”, when the email promises “more details about the future”. That could be the first official word on the studio’s next game.
What’s next
We will update this story if Sony or Sucker Punch comments, or if the studio’s update next week confirms the number of jobs cut or names the next project. For more on the studio’s history, see our earlier report on the Ghost of Tsushima sequel’s confirmation.
Sources: Aftermath (original report, October 26, 2026), Kotaku, VGC, Push Square, Insider Gaming, VGC on Sony’s 3.3 million figure, Bloomberg, Shacknews.
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Featured image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
