The PlayStation studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei has cut 24 jobs, citing "challenges in the market," even after one of Sony's biggest hits of the year.
Sucker Punch Productions, the Sony-owned studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei, is laying off staff. Aftermath broke the story Monday, citing a former employee, and now puts the number at 24 people. Its first report said 26, and that early number is still in a lot of headlines and posts.
Here’s what we know:
- Aftermath viewed an email from studio leadership that says: “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.”
- The email also says, “Next week we will go into more details about the future.”
- Aftermath puts the studio at under 200 people, while Polygon says the headcount may be closer to 230. Polygon estimates the cuts hit roughly 10 to 12 percent of the team.
- Sony had not commented publicly as of Monday afternoon, per Aftermath and Game Informer.
- The cuts come weeks after the Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition and its Echoes of Sekigahara expansion launched on October 1. Aftermath notes Yotei was, as of June, reportedly Sony’s best-selling PS5 game of 2026.
OnPoint’s take
First things first: nobody here is cheering people losing their jobs, and we hope every one of those 24 devs lands somewhere great fast. But look at what Sony is telling you. Its best-selling game of the year couldn’t protect the studio that made it. That’s a PlayStation first-party machine under real pressure, and fans should be asking why a hit studio is cutting right after shipping a hit. Xbox has had its own tough headlines this week, no question, but its studios keep delivering: Call of Duty just crossed $40 billion in lifetime revenue off a strong Modern Warfare 4 launch. That’s the energy we want. It is what it is.
Sources
- Aftermath: Layoffs Hit Ghost Of Yotei Developer Sucker Punch
- Polygon: Ghost of Yotei was a hit but its studio is already seeing layoffs
- Game Informer: Report: Ghost Of Yotei Developer Sucker Punch Hit With Layoffs
- Gematsu: Report: Sucker Punch Productions lays off 26 staff
- The Verge: Sucker Punch is reportedly cutting staff
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Sucker Punch Productions
