Sucker Punch Layoffs: What's Confirmed About Cuts at the Ghost of Yōtei Studio

TL;DR: The Korean community post "루머) 고오쓰 개발사 서커펀치 정리해고 단행" is a translation of real reporting, so this is more than a rumor. On October 26, 2026, Aftermath reported that Sucker Punch Productions, the Sony-owned studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei, laid off staff. Aftermath based the story on an internal email from studio leadership and an account from a former employee. Aftermath first said 26 people were cut and later corrected that to 24, though many outlets still repeat 26. As of October 27, neither Sony nor Sucker Punch has made a public statement, and Aftermath said Sony had not replied to its request for comment. The layoffs are well reported by credible press but not officially confirmed.

Where the rumor came from

The FMKorea thread is not the origin. It reposts English-language coverage. The trail looks like this:

1. Aftermath (Nathan Grayson), October 26, 2026. This is the primary report. Aftermath says it saw an email that studio leadership sent to staff and spoke with a former Sucker Punch employee. According to Aftermath, the email said the decision came after "reviewing the team needs for our next project." It also said "several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated."
2. Aftermath correction. The first version of the story said 26 people were laid off. Aftermath later changed the figure to 24 "after learning more."
3. Follow-up coverage. Shacknews, Push Square, PSX Extreme, Final Weapon, Explosion and others repeated the story within hours. Most of them cite Aftermath, and many still use the original figure of 26.
4. Korean communities. The news then reached FMKorea and other boards with the "루머" (rumor) tag. That tag fit while Sony was silent, but the story rests on a reported internal email, not on anonymous gossip.

We found no independent report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Kotaku or IGN at the time of writing. As far as we can tell, Aftermath's reporting is the only primary source.

What we know about the cuts

• Headcount affected: 24 according to Aftermath's corrected figure. Some outlets still say 26.
• Stated rationale: The leaked email reportedly mentions market challenges and a review of what the next project needs. That suggests a restructuring tied to the start of a new project, not a studio closure.
• Departments: Not specified. Aftermath did not say which teams were affected, and we will not name individual employees.
• Studio size: Reported estimates put Sucker Punch somewhere between under 200 and about 230 people. That would make the cut roughly 10–12% of staff, but the base figure is not official.

Was Ghost of Yōtei a flop?

Some reactions treat the layoffs as proof that Ghost of Yōtei underperformed. The public evidence does not support that:

• Ghost of Yōtei launched on PS5 on October 2, 2025. In November 2025, Sony said it had sold 3.3 million copies in its first 32 days.
• Aftermath cites an IGN report saying that as of June 2026 it was Sony's best-selling PS5 title of the year. The same report says it trailed Ghost of Tsushima in units sold but earned more revenue.
• Its expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara, was well received.

Studios often cut staff between projects, after the end of a game's development and post-launch work and before the next project needs a full team. The email's reported wording about "our next project" fits that pattern better than a sales-failure explanation.

Context: PlayStation's layoff record

This would not be Sucker Punch's first round of cuts. In August 2014, Sony confirmed a "reduction in workforce" at the studio, after inFAMOUS Second Son shipped. Across PlayStation Studios more broadly:

• February 2024: Sony Interactive Entertainment cut about 900 jobs, around 8% of its global workforce, and closed London Studio.
• 2024: Bungie had major layoffs, and Sony closed Firewalk Studios (Concord) and Neon Koi.
• 2025–2026: Smaller cuts continued across the industry as publishers reorganized their budgets for big-budget games.

Against that background, a cut of about 24 people at a studio coming off a hit is consistent with how Sony has been running its first-party studios. Without an official statement, though, the exact reasons are still the studio's to explain.

Confirmed vs. unverified

Claim	Status	Basis
Sucker Punch laid off staff around Oct 26, 2026	Reported by credible press	Aftermath, citing an internal email and a former employee
Number affected is 24	Reported (corrected figure)	Aftermath correction (originally 26)
Number affected is 26	Superseded	Aftermath's first version, still repeated by other outlets
Sony or Sucker Punch publicly confirmed the cuts	Not confirmed	No statement found; Aftermath said Sony had not responded
Cuts tied to planning for the next project	Reported (from the leaked email)	Wording of the email as quoted by Aftermath
Cuts caused by poor Ghost of Yōtei sales	Unverified / speculation	Sony's 3.3M-in-32-days figure and IGN's sales reporting point the other way
Specific departments or roles affected	Unknown	Not reported
Bloomberg/Kotaku independent confirmation	Not found	No such report located as of Oct 27, 2026

FAQ

Did Sony confirm the Sucker Punch layoffs? No, not as of October 27, 2026. The story comes from Aftermath, which says it saw an internal email. Aftermath said Sony had not responded to its request for comment.

How many people were laid off, 24 or 26? Aftermath first reported 26 and then corrected the figure to 24. Treat 24 as the best available number until Sony or the studio says otherwise.

Does this mean Ghost of Yōtei failed? There is no evidence of that. Sony reported 3.3 million copies sold in the game's first 32 days, and IGN reported that it was Sony's best-selling PS5 game of 2026 as of June. According to the leaked email, the cuts relate to the needs of the studio's next project.

Is Sucker Punch closing? No outlet has reported that. The email reportedly describes eliminating "several positions," which is a reduction in staff, not a closure.

Sources: Aftermath · Shacknews · Push Square · Final Weapon · PSX Extreme · MCV/Develop (2014 cuts)

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