Ghost of Yotei Developer Sucker Punch Reportedly Lays Off 26 Employees Following Latest Release
In a nutshell
- Sucker Punch Productions has reportedly laid off 26 employees following the release of Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition.
- Studio leadership cited market challenges and staffing needs for its next project as reasons behind the workforce reduction.
- The developer says it will share more details about its future plans with remaining staff in the coming weeks.
Less than a month after releasing Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition, Sucker Punch Productions has reportedly laid off more than two dozen employees as the PlayStation studio begins preparing for its next project.
According to a report from Aftermath, the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei has let go 26 staff members as part of a restructuring effort tied to future development plans.
Sucker Punch Cites Market Challenges and Future Staffing Needs
The report references an internal email allegedly sent by studio leadership, which stated that management had reviewed market conditions and the requirements of the company’s next project before deciding to reduce headcount.
The email reads as follows:
“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.”
The message also reportedly assured employees that the company had worked to support affected staff throughout the transition.
Following the Release of Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition
The layoffs come shortly after the launch of Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition, which includes the new narrative expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara.
The expansion marked Sucker Punch’s latest release and effectively wrapped up the studio’s recent work on the Ghost franchise before shifting focus toward its next major project. While the company has yet to announce what that project will be, leadership reportedly told staff that more information regarding the studio’s future would be shared at a later date.
Another Round of Industry Layoffs
The reported cuts at Sucker Punch add to a continuing trend of layoffs across the video game industry, with studios and publishers reassessing team structures as projects conclude and new development cycles begin.
At the time of writing, neither Sony nor Sucker Punch has publicly detailed the studio’s next project.
