Sony has recently conducted layoffs at its Visual Arts studio in San Diego and PS Studios Malaysia, according to reports from Kotaku and statements from former employees on LinkedIn. The affected employees were informed that March 7 would be their last working day. These layoffs included developers who had worked on various projects, including a recently canceled live-service game at Bend Studio. Visual Arts, known for its art and technical support, has collaborated with other PlayStation first-party studios, contributing significantly to projects like The Last of Us Part 1 and 2 remasters.
Several developers have confirmed their layoffs on LinkedIn, with at least one from PS Studios Malaysia. A former Visual Arts employee mentioned that these layoffs were a result of "multiple project cancellations."
This marks the second round of layoffs at Visual Arts within the last two years, following a similar event in 2023. The current number of employees at Visual Arts and the studio's ongoing projects remain undisclosed. IGN has sought comments from PlayStation regarding these developments.
These layoffs are part of a broader trend in the gaming industry, which has seen over 10,000 game developers laid off in 2023, escalating to more than 14,000 in 2024. In 2025, the trend persists, though exact figures are harder to come by as more studios are reluctant to disclose the extent of the layoffs.
