Some bad news has come from one of PlayStation’s flagship studios. Sucker Punch Productions, the developer behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei, has reportedly laid off 24 employees.
Based on information from Polygon, this news was first reported by Aftermath on October 26, 2026. These layoffs come amid the success of *Ghost of Yotei*, which has become one of the best-selling PlayStation games this year.
24 employees affected; the studio is preparing its next project
Aftermath obtained this information from a former Sucker Punch employee. Initially, Aftermath reported that 26 employees had been laid off, but that number was later corrected to 24.
According to Aftermath, Sucker Punch has fewer than 200 employees, which is quite small for an AAA studio. Polygon puts the number at around 200, or possibly close to 230. This means that approximately 10–12% of the studio’s workforce has been affected.
In an email to employees viewed by Aftermath, studio leadership explained that this decision was made due to market conditions and the team’s needs for the next project. “After carefully observing the challenges in the market and reviewing the team’s needs for our next project, we’ve decided to make some staffing reductions. As a result, several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated,” the email stated.
Studio executives also emphasized that this decision was not made lightly, and that they are working to support affected employees during the transition period. “There’s no getting around the fact that this is a difficult day. Next week we will provide more details about the future,” the email continued.
Aftermath has contacted Sony to request further information, but had not received a response as of the publication of this article. So far, neither Sucker Punch nor Sony has issued a public statement regarding the layoffs.
"Ghost of Yotei" was a critical and commercial success
Ironically, these layoffs came shortly after Sucker Punch enjoyed tremendous success. *Ghost of Yotei* launched for PlayStation 5 on October 2, 2025, and earned a Metascore of 86 on Metacritic. If you’re curious about our experience playing it, you can read Review of Ghost of Yotei at PLAY EAT SLEEP.
At the event D.I.C.E. Awards 2026 Last February, Ghost of Yotei took home three awards: Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Character for Atsu, and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition.
In terms of sales, Sony previously announced that *Ghost of Yotei* sold more than 3.3 million copies in just 32 days. Sony’s CFO, Lin Tao, also noted that the game surpassed the sales of *Ghost of Tsushima* during the same period and “significantly contributed” to the quarter’s financial results.
In June 2026, Alinea Analytics reported that Ghost of Yotei was the best-selling first-party or second-party (Sony) game of the year, with 1.1 million copies sold and revenue of US$1.5776 million. According to Polygon, as of October 2026, the game is estimated to have sold 5.4 million copies, generating more than US$400 million in revenue.
About Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Before the Ghost series, the studio was known for the Sly Cooper and Infamous series. Since 2020, Sucker Punch has released only the Ghost games and their multiplayer modes.
The studio’s latest release is *Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition*, which launched on October 1, 2026. This edition includes the "Echoes of Sekigahara" story expansion, which received positive reviews from critics, as well as the "Most Wanted" roguelike mode, which brings back Jin Sakai from *Ghost of Tsushima* as a playable character.
It’s not yet clear what project Sucker Punch is working on. However, the studio has promised to provide its employees with more details next week, so an update is likely to follow soon.
