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

Sony's San Diego-based Visual Arts studio and PS Studios Malaysia have reportedly experienced layoffs, affecting an undisclosed number of employees. According to Kotaku and LinkedIn posts from former employees, affected staff were informed their last day would be March 7th. These 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 PlayStation's first-party studios, notably on the recent The Last of Us Part I and Part II remasters.

IGN has confirmed several LinkedIn posts from laid-off Visual Arts employees, along with 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 two years, following an earlier wave in 2023. The current size of Visual Arts' remaining staff and their ongoing projects remain unclear. IGN has contacted PlayStation for comment.

These layoffs reflect a broader trend of job cuts and project cancellations within the games industry. While over 10,000 game developer layoffs were estimated in 2023, rising to over 14,000 in 2024, precise figures for 2025 are less readily available due to decreased transparency from affected studios.