Sucker Punch Productions has laid off 24 employees, the studio behind Ghost of Yōtei confirmed in a memo to staff. The cuts at the Sony Interactive Entertainment-owned developer took effect Monday. The studio, which is said to have slightly more than 200 employees, gave no exact staffing figures.
In the memo, the studio said it had weighed difficulties in the market and the staffing needs of its next project before deciding to eliminate several positions across the team. Sucker Punch said the decision was not made lightly and that it had worked to support the affected colleagues through the transition. The studio acknowledged the day was hard and said it would share more details about the future next week. The layoffs land a little over a week before Sony reports its latest quarterly earnings.
Ghost of Yōtei arrived in October last year and sold 3.3 million copies in its first month. Sucker Punch shipped a well-received expansion for the game just a few weeks ago. Its predecessor went on to sell 13 million copies in its first four years. Ghost of Yōtei, however, does not appear to be headed to PC. A port was reportedly close to completion before word surfaced earlier this year that Yōtei, Saros and future first-party single-player titles would stay exclusive to the PS5.
The reductions add to a grim stretch for video game employment, with tens of thousands of jobs cut across the industry in recent years. Last week, EA closed BioWare and eliminated roughly 400 positions. More cuts are expected: Xbox said in July it would shed about 3,200 workers over the following 12 months, with hundreds still to come, after laying off 268 people in September.
Arkane's future is also unsettled. Reports last week said the studio had until November 13 to find a buyer or face closure, but Microsoft has granted it more time. A company representative told PC Gamer on Friday that the consultation period had been extended by one month while options are explored, including finding a partner to support the studio through the development work still ahead. The representative described the extension as defined and said the company remains committed to keeping the Works Council informed. Arkane is said to be in the final stretch of development on Marvel's Blade.
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