Sucker Punch, the PlayStation studio behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei, has laid off 26 people, Aftermath reported on Monday, October 26, citing a former employee for the number and an email that studio leadership sent to staff. Neither Sony nor Sucker Punch has said anything publicly or confirmed the figure, and it isn't known which roles were cut.
On the same day, UK developer Auroch Digital, which made Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, said on social media that it plans to cut around a quarter of its staff.
What the Sucker Punch email says
According to Aftermath, leadership pointed to two reasons: challenges in the market and what the team needs for its next project. After reviewing those needs, the email says, "several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated." It also calls it a hard day and promises more details about the studio's future next week, meaning the week of November 2.
Sucker Punch hasn't announced that next game. There's no official headcount either. Gematsu puts the studio at fewer than 200 employees, while Push Square estimates around 230. Either way, 26 layoffs would be more than 11% of the team.
Yōtei sold faster than Tsushima
Ghost of Yōtei launched on PS5 on October 2, 2025. Sony's earnings report said it had sold 3.3 million copies to players by November 2, 2025, its first 32 days on sale, as Push Square reported. Sony also said it outsold Ghost of Tsushima over the same stretch, even though Tsushima came out on PS4, which had a much larger player base at the time.
The studio kept supporting the game through 2026. On October 1 it released the Complete Edition, which adds the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion and Most Wanted, the mode that brings back Jin Sakai. The layoffs came on October 26, 25 days later. The leadership email doesn't tie them to sales, but to the market and the next project.
Auroch Digital cuts a quarter of its staff
Bristol-based Auroch Digital has started a redundancy consultation. Under UK rules, that is the process in which an employer consults affected staff before layoffs are finalized, so the final number can still change. The studio hasn't said how many people it employs.
Fandom Pulse estimates about 25 people will be affected, based on an April press release that put Auroch at roughly 100 developers. In its statement, the studio blamed the same market conditions that have hit other developers, despite the creative success of its recent games.
Boltgun 2 came out on October 14, twelve days before the announcement, published by Devolver Digital's Big Fan Games label. Auroch says development and post-launch support will continue for that game and for Warhammer Survivors, which launches November 10. Roundtable Interactive bought the studio from Sumo Digital in November 2025.
Five days after BioWare's closure
Both cuts landed five days after EA shut down BioWare and canceled the next Mass Effect. Sony has cut staff at studios coming off hits before. In February 2024 it eliminated about 900 jobs, including at Insomniac, the studio behind Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and closed London Studio, Gematsu reported.
Next for Sucker Punch is the update leadership promised for the week of November 2. Still unknown: which roles were cut, whether Sony will confirm the layoffs and what the studio's next game is. At Auroch, the final number depends on how the consultation ends.
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