RUMOR
Sucker Punch, the studio behind Ghost of Yotei, has reportedly laid off about 26 developers as it shifts focus to its next PlayStation project. Aftermath reports the cuts, citing an unnamed former employee. Sony has not confirmed them.
What we know
Sony’s fiscal report for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 stated that Ghost of Yotei had sold more than 3.3 million units worldwide as of November 2, 2025. Gematsu and Game Developer both reported the figure, and Sony called the game a major hit. That was roughly a month after its October 2, 2025 launch on PS5.
The game has stayed in the spotlight since. VGC reports that Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition, which bundles the Echoes of Sekigahara narrative expansion, launched earlier in October 2026, shortly before the layoff report surfaced.
On the layoffs, the major outlets are treating the story with caution. Push Square, VGC and Eurogamer all describe the cuts as reported, not confirmed. Push Square said it expects an official statement soon. As of October 26, 2026, we found no public statement from Sony or Sucker Punch.
What is rumored
Aftermath, an established reporter-run outlet, reported on October 26, 2026 that Sucker Punch laid off 26 people. The headcount comes from a single unnamed former employee, not from Sony or the studio. Push Square, VGC, Eurogamer, Insider Gaming and others have since relayed the report.
Aftermath also obtained an internal email from studio leadership, which Push Square and VGC repeat. According to that email, leadership wrote: “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 reportedly says several positions will be eliminated and promises more details about the future “next week.” The email came through the former employee and has not been verified by Sony, though outlets quote it consistently.
How big a share of the studio this represents is less clear. Outlets put the cuts at around 10-15% of the workforce, but the studio size estimates behind that number conflict. Push Square cites about 230 employees, while secondary outlets relaying Aftermath say fewer than 200. Sucker Punch has never published an official headcount, so treat the percentage as approximate.
Outlets have also linked the cuts to staffing for Sucker Punch’s next, unannounced PlayStation project. That is an inference from the email’s wording about “our next project.” Neither the email nor the reports name a game, and Sony has confirmed nothing.
What we don’t know yet
- Whether Sony or Sucker Punch will confirm the layoffs, and the final number of affected staff.
- Which teams or disciplines were hit.
- What the “next project” is, or how far along it might be.
- What details leadership plans to share in the follow-up the email reportedly promises.
What it means
If the report holds, this is a familiar and uncomfortable pattern: a studio coming off a commercial success still trimming staff. Sony’s own numbers show Ghost of Yotei crossing 3.3 million units in its first month, and the Complete Edition has only just launched. Strong sales clearly did not rule out cuts, at least according to the email Aftermath obtained, which points to market challenges and the needs of the next project rather than the last game’s performance.
Some outlets have compared the situation to Sony’s early 2024 staff cuts at Insomniac, which also followed a successful release. That comparison comes from press coverage, not from Sony.
For players, the reported cuts do not mean anything has been cancelled, and no project has been named. What they suggest is a studio moving from post-launch support into early work on something new, with a smaller team. We will update once Sony or Sucker Punch says something on the record.
