Sucker Punch reportedly lays off more than two dozen staff ahead of next project

Sucker Punch Productions has reportedly laid off more than two dozen staff while it prepares its next game. Video Games Chronicle reported the cuts on 26 October 2026, crediting a new report from Aftermath.

Aftermath put the total at 26, citing a source. Layoffs are the cutting of roles, usually to change the size or shape of a team.

According to the report, Sucker Punch leadership told staff that the reductions followed a review of market challenges and the needs of the studio's next project. Studios often make staffing changes between major games, as teams shift from finishing one project to starting another.

Sucker Punch is best known for the Ghost series. Its most recent game, Ghost of Yotei, is the follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima. The complete edition of Ghost of Yotei adds a new story expansion, called Echoes of Sekigahara.

The studio has also seen a change at the top. In December 2025, Game Developer reported that Brian Fleming, a co-founder of Sucker Punch, would leave the studio in April 2026. He had spent 28 years there. Fleming's departure was announced before the layoff reports.

Sucker Punch also made Infamous, the superhero series that first brought the studio wide attention. Its work is now split between a major flagship series and a new project that has not yet been detailed.

For players, the reports bring a change in the people making the games, not a change to any game already on sale. The next project is the main thing to watch. When a studio names it, the release window and platforms will show how the cuts fit into the plan.