Sucker Punch lays off 26 staff despite Ghost of Yotei selling over 5 million copies
The cuts show that strong sales for Sony's best-selling game of last year did not protect the studio's staff from reductions.
Sucker Punch Productions, the studio behind Ghost of Yotei, is laying off 26 staff out of roughly 229 employees, despite the game selling more than 5 million copies since its release last year. An internal email, verified by Aftermath, attributes the cuts to market conditions and a reassessment of staffing needs for the studio's next project, though it does not name that project. Leadership said the decision was not taken lightly and promised more details the following week. The layoffs come even though Ghost of Yotei was Sony's best-selling game of last year, a detail that highlights how commercial success does not shield teams from cuts. Kotaku's coverage also notes that the studio was acquired by Sony in 2011.
Why it matters
The cuts land at a studio that Sony acquired in 2011 and whose game was the publisher's top seller last year, so the decision is a sign that commercial success alone does not secure jobs. Staff at Sucker Punch are left uncertain about their futures while leadership reviews team needs for its next project, which has not been named. Readers who follow the industry can see the reductions as a reminder that even well-performing studios may restructure around new work, with the fuller explanation promised for the following week.
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