Sony Cuts Jobs at PlayStation Visual Arts Studio

Sony has recently laid off an unspecified number of employees from its Visual Arts studio in San Diego and PS Studios Malaysia, according to reports from Kotaku and statements from former employees on LinkedIn.

Kotaku reported that staff were notified earlier this week that their last day would be March 7. The layoffs affected 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, notably on the remasters of The Last of Us Part 1 and 2.

IGN has confirmed the layoffs through LinkedIn posts from multiple developers at Visual Arts and at least one from PS Studios Malaysia. A former Visual Arts employee mentioned that the layoffs were a result of "multiple project cancellations."

This marks the second round of layoffs at Visual Arts within the last two years, following another wave in 2023. The current number of employees at Visual Arts and their ongoing projects remain unclear. IGN has sought comment from PlayStation.

These layoffs are part of a continuing trend of job cuts and project cancellations in the gaming industry. Since 2023, over 10,000 game developers were reported to have been laid off, with the figure rising to over 14,000 in 2024. In 2025, the trend persists, though exact numbers are harder to come by as fewer studios are disclosing the specifics of those affected.