Rumor: Layoffs Reported at Sucker Punch, the Studio Behind Ghost of Yotei

Rumor: Aftermath reported on Monday, October 26, that layoffs have hit Sucker Punch, the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei. The report rests on a former employee and on an email that studio leadership sent to staff. Sony has not confirmed the details, and Aftermath says it asked the company and had not heard back.

What was reported

According to Aftermath, 24 people lost their jobs. The first version of the story said 26, and two outlets that built on it, Eurogamer and VGC, published that figure. Aftermath later corrected it to 24, which is the number used here. The article says the studio has fewer than 200 employees, which would make this a significant cut.

In the email Aftermath saw, leadership wrote that after “carefully observing the challenges in the market” and reviewing the team’s needs for the next project, it had decided on staffing reductions. It also said the decision was not made lightly, and that more details about the future would follow next week. The next project has not been announced.

The context

The layoffs come soon after Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition launched on PS5 on October 1, with the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion, a new game mode and other additions. Once that release was out, the studio cut staff.

Reports on how well the game sold are not identical. Eurogamer cites 3.3 million copies in its first month, while Aftermath writes that as of June it was reportedly Sony’s best-selling PS5 game of 2026. Sony’s own statement for the last quarter of 2025 only said sales exceeded those of the previous game over the same period, so we are not presenting a single sales figure as settled.

After such a successful game, the decision is hard to understand.

This is one more round in an industry where success does not guarantee job security. Just last week came the news that BioWare is closing, which we covered in a separate article.

What happens next

The studio has promised more details next week, and we will update if there is news. Until Sony or Sucker Punch confirms the numbers, treat them as Aftermath’s report. Eurogamer and VGC also covered it, but both cite Aftermath rather than an independent source.