Sony Lays Off Unknown Number of Workers at PlayStation Visual Arts Studio

Sony has reportedly laid off an unspecified number of employees from its San Diego-based Visual Arts studio and PS Studios Malaysia. This news comes from a Kotaku report and confirmed by former employees on LinkedIn. Affected staff were informed earlier this week that March 7th would be their last day. The layoffs included developers who contributed to various projects, including a recently canceled live-service game at Bend Studio.

Visual Arts, a support studio providing art and technical assistance, has collaborated extensively with other PlayStation first-party studios, notably on the recent The Last of Us Part I and Part II remasters. IGN has independently verified LinkedIn posts from several laid-off Visual Arts developers, and at least one from PS Studios Malaysia. One former Visual Arts employee attributed the layoffs to "multiple project cancellations."

This marks the second round of layoffs at Visual Arts in the past two years, following an earlier wave in 2023. The current number of remaining employees and future projects at Visual Arts are currently unknown. IGN has contacted PlayStation for comment.

These layoffs reflect a broader trend of job cuts and project cancellations within the gaming industry, a trend observed since 2023. While over 10,000 game developer layoffs were estimated in 2023, and over 14,000 in 2024, precise figures for 2025 remain elusive due to decreased transparency from affected studios.