As we've noted before on this very site, there really is just no winning in the videogame industry, particularly under current conditions. Make an unsuccessful game? Make the kind of game you didn't want to make, but were pressured into? Layoffs. Make a successful game? Layoffs. Currently making a game? Believe it or not, layoffs.

As is the case with Ghost of Yōtei developer sucker punch, which has reportedly—per an internal email sent to Aftermath and confirmations from an ex-employee to the site—been hit with 24 layoffs, around a 10% reduction in staff.

This is despite the fact that Ghost of Yōtei, the studio's most recent game, was a commercial success: It sold 3.3 million copies in its opening month, making it the 11th-best selling game in the US in 2025. It continued to rake in the cash, hopping over 5 million copies in just a handful of months.

The email itself reads: "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. Several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated as a result.

"We know this is a lot to take in, and we want to assure you that we did not make this decision lightly. We have given this a lot of attention and worked to support our affected colleagues during this transition as well as we can. … There's no getting around that this is a hard day.

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