You just can't win—despite Ghost of Yōtei selling millions of copies, 24 people are reportedly being let go from Sucker Punch

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 …